Who Am I?
by DZ2
Summary: Challenge and story in one: details in the first chapter! When Harry awakens from an accident after the First Task, he finds that he can't recall the past four years at Hogwarts? What can a certain brunette do to help him? H/Hr
1. Challenge Details

Forget-Me-Not Challenge

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter as well as this challenge.

Hi everyone, DZ2 here with a new challenge, but, rather than post it in the forums, I have decided to post the challenge with this story and then the story that follows will be an example of how such a reply to the challenge can be written.

So, without further ado, here we go:

**FORGET-ME-NOT CHALLENGE**

_**Plot: **_During one of his many death-defying adventures, Harry suffers an accident and, when he awakens he either:

A: Loses his memory completely with NO CHANCE of getting it back

OR

B: Can't remember who he is, but does eventually remember

_**Rules:**_

If challenge A, Harry CANNOT recall anything after July 31st of his first year at Hogwarts or, failing that, can't remember who he is!

If challenge B, Harry must regain his memory through flashbacks and snippets of memory

Severitus

Must be set any year before - but not including - 5th Year

Grey or Dark Harry

Pairings must be H/Hr, HP/LL, HP/DG or HP/DM

Harry must sever ties with Ron and see him for what he is: a greedy, waste of space.

Even if she does not become his paired person, Hermione MUST remain Harry's friend

Harry must not trust Dumbledore

_**Suggestions:**_

Harry siding with Tom

Harry becoming a Slytherin

Bindings on Harry's magic

Harry knowing about the Horcrux/prophecy

Severus reconciling with Sirius and Remus

Other Weasleys choosing to stick with Harry

Harry undergoing a full personality change

_**Forbidden:**_

Harry sticking with Dumbledore

Hermione going against Harry

The Golden Trio remaining together

Neville or Luna bashing

Light Harry

**OTHER THAN THAT, IT IS COMPLETELY UP TO YOU!**

And so, the next chapter will be chapter 1 of my own example of a reply to this challenge: it is a H/Hr set in 4th year and is a reply to challenge A;

Any questions or comments about the challenge are welcome, but please, nothing negative: personally, I find this a pretty interesting event to occur and explore.


	2. 1: What Happened To Harry?

Who Am I? A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

**Plot: **Answer to my Forget-Me-Not Challenge; 4th year AU: When Harry awakens from an accident after the First Task, he finds that he can't recall the past four years at Hogwarts? What can a certain brunette do to help him?

**Tags: **Dark Harry; Dark Hermione; Nice Draco; Severitus;

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Ginny

Draco/Astoria

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

Chapter 1: What's Happened To Harry?

_The dragon was behind him;_

_It wanted to hurt him, to burn him out of the sky;_

_There was only one hope; the archway under the bridge and through the viaduct;_

_His broom seemed to buck underneath him, as if asking what its bearer was thinking;_

_He wasn't going to make it:_

_The darkness was all that he found as a result;_

_**WhoAmI?**_

Who was he?

Where was he?

Why did his head hurt?

How did he somehow know that he wasn't in his cupboard under the stairs being a good boy?

Cracking his eyes open, he looked around, finding an unfamiliar room and a long, comfortable set of striped pyjamas as well as a lovely, warm autumn sunshine streaming through the window.

Was this heaven? Had his Uncle finally done as he'd promised and sent him to his worthless, drunken parents?

He couldn't even remember his name: all he knew were the names _Freak _and _Boy_: was that who he was? Was he Freak Boy or Boy Freak? Boy seemed almost nicer, so that was what he decided, just as a curtain was pulled back and an unfamiliar woman looked in on him, smiling at him warmly, her eyes showing relief as she approached him.

In the past, before the pain in his head, Boy had known that any who chose to approach him only wanted to hurt him: so, naturally, instinct kicked in and he scurried away, crouching near the edge of what he now saw as a bed.

"I…I'm sorry," he gasped, "I d-didn't m-mean to be here: I should b-be back at home."

"Mr Potter!" gasped the woman – who was that? Was that his name? His Uncle had never called him anything except Boy and Freak, but this woman, with her warm smile and kind voice, was addressing him as if he were equal with her.

'No,' thought Boy, remaining in his little space near the bed, grateful for the wall that was next to it, 'Freaks don't get kindness; they get drunk and leave their worthless offspring on the doorstep of decent, normal people.'

"Potter?" asked the woman, "Are you okay?"

'There's that name again,' thought Boy, 'Why does she call me that? Uncle says I'm unworthy of anything except Boy and Aunt says Potter was a drunk who offed himself because he couldn't bear such a monster for a son.'

"Madam Pomfrey?"

The new voice made Boy look up, a strange brown-haired girl walking towards them, her eyes wide as she saw Boy huddled there; stopping by the first woman, the girl asked, "Harry…are you…all right?"

"No," gasped Boy, his voice sounding like a frightened child, "Not Harry…Boy; that's who I am: Uncle says so."

"Boy?" asked the girl, looking to Boy with shock, "No, you're called…"

"Miss Granger!" gasped the woman, Boy looking to both the females as he still saw the girl looking at him.

'She's cute,' he thought, before he tried his hardest to smile, deciding it would be better to be polite than to be rude; as if she'd noticed the smile, the girl smiled back and looked at him with the same warmth as the woman.

Boy liked that smile: he felt safe, warm and a need for the girl to remain: he had this inkling that, if the girl was around, then everything was okay, even if his Uncle wasn't there to make sure Boy was a good boy.

"Miss Granger," the woman spoke up, "A word."

Boy felt his fears return as the girl walked to the end of his bed and over to a spare set of curtains, before he saw the two of them speaking in hushed whispers.

'I knew it,' Boy thought to himself, 'They think I'm a freak: just when I thought I had a friend.'

Regaining his instinctive drive, Boy turned away and sobbed quietly, hoping that the two women who made him feel warm wouldn't see his tears; as he sobbed, he heard his Uncle's voice.

"_Normal people don't need to waste their time on freaks like you!_"

That's who he was;

Boy;

Boy the Freak;

No matter what anyone else said…

_**WhoAmI?**_

Hermione shared a glance with Madam Pomfrey before she saw Harry, the same Harry who had just taken on a fully-grown Hungarian Horntail and suffered an accident, turn away from their faces, his body trembling, the soft sound of crying making both the young Gryffindor and the mediwitch feel utterly helpless.

Looking back to the matron, Hermione asked, "Madam Pomfrey, why doesn't Harry recognise me?"

"He didn't even recognise me," Madam Pomfrey replied, "Which is a surprise considering how often he's in here: Miss Granger, I think Mr Potter has lost his memory."

"That can't be," Hermione gasped, "He was all right until he fell off his broom."

"Then how do you explain how he can't recall anything about where he is or who we are? How do you explain that he seems to be afraid to speak his mind or even argue against anything this mysterious Uncle says about him? Miss Granger, do you know who he's talking about when he says that?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, "His Uncle Vernon: his wife Petunia was Harry's Aunt and his mum's sister, but, Madam Pomfrey, don't people recover from amnesia?"

"Normal people do," Madam Pomfrey explained, "But you have to remember that he is a wizard who survived the Killing Curse, is able to speak Parseltongue and take on a full horde of Dementors with a Patronus, not to mention being the youngest champion in Hogwarts history." She spared a glance at the weeping child opposite them, before an idea; a crazy, but optimistic idea, wormed its way into the matron's mind. Looking to Hermione, Poppy asked, "Miss Granger, would you mind doing something for me?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Distract Ha…Boy," she requested, Hermione almost terrified to hear her use the name that Harry had said to them. When she opened her mouth to argue, Madam Pomfrey continued, "And that's the other thing: I fear this may be permanent and so he'll need someone who will willingly stand with him: if it is, then it means he doesn't remember the past four years nor does he remember You-Know-Who or the fact he is the Boy-Who-Lived. Miss Granger," she paused again before sighing and giving Hermione the same reassuring smile she'd shown Harry/Boy, "Hermione, he needs someone at his side who he can call friend. Can you promise me that you'll do it for me and help him adjust himself back into our world and his magic?"

Hermione looked back at Harry/Boy's trembling body, her own heart breaking as she looked at him, recalling the naïve, easily malleable Harry she had seen four Septembers ago on the Hogwarts Express. This was no Boy-Who-Lived: this was a near-Muggleborn who had just found himself in a place where his damned relatives told him didn't exist.

It was that Harry/Boy that was lying in the bed: weak, afraid and alone: there was only reply to Madam Pomfrey's request:

"I'll do it."

_**WhoAmI?**_

"Ha…Boy?"

Boy looked up at the sound of the nice girl's voice, the brunette now standing next to him, her arms at her side, that warm smile back on her face as she asked, "Can I join you?"

"You…you want to be…be here with a f…freak like me?" asked Boy, slowly moving away from the wall, his body still hunched.

"Yes," the girl answered, a tick appearing above her eye at the mention of the f-word: she had heard it many times herself as a child, simply because of her large teeth and over-excessive need for knowledge.

"O…kay," Boy smiled, watching as the girl moved onto the bed, sitting next to him as he straightened up, trying to appear polite instead of weak.

"Now?" asked the girl, "How about you tell me your real name? Boy can't be who you are, can it?"

"I am either Boy or Freak," Boy answered, "Uncle says I'm unworthy of a real name."

"Well," the girl exclaimed, "He's wrong: in fact, I don't want to scare you, but I know your real name: it's Harry, Harry Potter and you're not a freak, but a special boy."

"Because I do freaky things," Harry/Boy insisted, "Uncle says I'm a freak because I'm not normal: Aunt says I'm a monster and Cousin says I'm target practice."

"Wrong, wrong and double wrong," the girl retorted, Harry/Boy sensing a change in her mood; he quickly made to move away, but the girl only had to look at him and he eased off, remaining a few inches away from her.

Looking down at his hand, Harry/Boy then noticed that he was dressed in the strange pyjamas and, as warm and snug as they were, the only clothes he had ever been given were his cousin's old hand-me-downs. Following his bodily examination upwards, Harry/Boy also noticed that several of the reminders of why he had to be a good boy weren't there any more and that his glasses were repaired and brand new.

"What happened to me?" he asked the girl, "I look like a normal person."

"Because you are," the girl insisted, "Just like me; just like the matron and just like everyone here: you are not only normal Harry; you're also…" she looked across at Madam Pomfrey, who seemed to have completed her tests and was now looking at a parchment with worry in her eyes; when she saw the young girl watching with a questioning expression, Poppy nodded and mouthed the words _tell him_, before the girl looked back at Harry/Boy, before she exclaimed, "You're also a wizard!"

There was silence in the Hospital Wing, save for the sound of a light, comforting breeze that blew through the window and the occasional footsteps outside the door.

Finally, Harry/Boy found his voice as he asked, "I'm a what?"

"A wizard young Harry," replied Madam Pomfrey, approaching the end of his bed, her suspicions confirmed when Harry/Boy clutched to Hermione as if he was worried she would hurt him. Keeping her distance, the matron continued, "And, if you'll permit me, I would like to introduce myself: my name is Poppy Pomfrey and that lovely young woman you're holding onto is Miss Hermione Granger; she's also a very good friend of yours as it happens."

"But," Harry/Boy squeaked, "I…I d…don't recognise her."

"No," agreed Madam Pomfrey, "But that's because of what's happened to you: now, if I'm right, then I'm sad to say that what's happened and the result of that is irreversible."

"And," Harry/Boy asked, "What did happen Miss Pomfrey?"

"Something both unusual and unexplainable in all my years," Poppy replied, a part of her falling in love with the innocent young man in front of her; he was both cute and young at the same time, almost like his fourteen year old self was now the physical vessel of his eleven year old self, possibly even younger. "You see Harry, you had a bad accident and the result of that is that you've…well, you've lost your memories from the past four years; do you even recognise where you are?"

"A…hospital?" asked Harry/Boy, looking around the room, "A very nice hospital?"

"Yes it is," replied Madam Pomfrey, "But it is, in fact, the Hospital Wing of a very special building: the Hospital Wing within Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and you, Harry, are in fact a fourth-year student here with Hermione."

"So…I am a…wizard?" asked Harry, "But I do freaky things, don't I?"

Harry/Boy half-expected the nice Madam Pomfrey to suddenly turn nasty: his Aunt always used to whenever he asked a question: instead, however, she smiled and shook her head, her warm voice speaking to him, "No Harry, you don't do freaky things; you do…magic and, without the proper teachings, your magic can become wild and feral. These freaky things as you call them are actually called moments of Accidental Magic and, depending on the effects of this magic that we also measure your magical potential."

Harry/Boy looked to Madam Pomfrey as, finding it safe to do so, he asked another question, "And…am I a strong wizard?"

"Yes you are," Madam Pomfrey explained, before she looked again to the results of her scans, a part of her not liking what she saw. Looking back to the boy, she continued, "Now, while I take a closer look at you; I promise I won't hurt you," she added, seeing Harry/Boy again cling to Hermione, the young Gryffindor not even minding the attention her close friend was almost craving from her, as well as the protections that she was willing to give to him. Madam Pomfrey continued, "I'm sworn into my job not to harm any of my charges: now, while I take a closer look at you, Hermione will stay here with you and you're free to ask or tell her anything you want to. Then, when I'm done, I'll have a word with a friend of mine about helping you understand the magic that you have, okay?"

"But?" asked Harry/Boy, "Won't my Uncle say anything about this? If I am a wizard, then he'd want to put a stop to this: he'd even…"

"Try to stamp it out of you," Hermione agreed with him, "But don't worry Harry; he can't get into Hogwarts without permission from a higher authority and, given what you've said here, we won't let him anywhere near you."

Harry/Boy felt safe in Hermione's embrace, the young girl helping him to lie back as Madam Pomfrey went to work; however, as Hermione gently ran her hand through Harry's messy black hair – her own mother had done it many times when she was scared or alone – and while she was almost treasuring the innocent angelic teenager in her arms, Hermione felt a pang of worry for something she'd then noticed on Harry's robes, which were hanging near his bed.

Clearing her throat to get Madam Pomfrey's attention, Hermione then spoke with what she hoped was an obvious hint, "Madam Pomfrey; I think I left something in the robe on the door; could you check the pocket for me?"

When Poppy looked up at Hermione, she was confused and slightly worried when she saw the girl tapping her own crest and nodding to Harry's robe hanging from the spot next to the bed.

Turning to the bed, Poppy's eyes widened and, as she looked back at Harry, who had closed his eyes as he rested against Hermione's side, the young girl still stroking his hair, a solitary thought crossed the mind of the matron, 'We have a serious problem.'

The source of that problem was crystal clear to Hermione and now to her:

The Gryffindor Lion, which adorned all Hogwarts' Gryffindor students' robes, was slowly fading away on Harry's robe…as if he had never been sorted in the first place.

_**So, there we are then: Chapter 1 of my own response to my Forget-Me-Not challenge; perhaps an even better explanation is in order; you see, this came completely out of the blue: it was a case of 'What could happen if Harry ever ran afoul of his life-or-death situations?'**_

_**Hence this challenge and this story; unlike my other stories, this won't be updated so quickly, but I may try for one new chapter a week on this one; it's something new for me and I plan to succeed in this;**_

_**So, why would Harry's Crest be fading away and, even if he accepts Hogwarts, can Hermione help keep Harry comfortable or will she need help?**_

_**Also, what will happen when certain exterior parties hear of this and what about a certain head and a certain prophecy?**_

_**Keep Reading to Find Out…**_

_**Next Chapter: Harry surprises everyone when he reacts before thinking; plus, Madam Pomfrey calls in a couple of old friends to help Harry adjust to Hogwarts and Hermione is asked to move out of the Gryffindor Dormitory;**_

_**Please Read and Review…**_


	3. 2: Here We Go Again

Who Am I? A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Ginny

Draco/Astoria

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

_**Review Answers:**_

_**Redwoodx: The source of Harry's memory lapse will be revealed later in the story, but let's just say that it does have an impact on his affinity; also, I never thought about the block unlocking Riddle's memories within, but I might have a go at it;**_

_**Slytherin66: Actually, their descent into darkness is more based around what this new Harry sees in the world and Hermione goes with him as per Madam Pomfrey's advice – to be the someone he could call friend and will willingly stand with him – but their descent isn't instant;**_

_**TurboOneTwenty: When I posted that little rule, here's what I meant: 31**__**st**__** July of his first year meant his eleventh birthday; however, following your review, if anyone wishes for the last thing he remembers is the Stone, then I will allow it, but no later!**_

_Turning to the bed, Poppy's eyes widened and, as she looked back at Harry, who had closed his eyes as he rested against Hermione's side, the young girl still stroking his hair, a solitary thought crossed the mind of the matron, 'We have a serious problem.'_

_The source of that problem was crystal clear to Hermione and now to her:_

_The Gryffindor Lion, which adorned all Hogwarts' Gryffindor students' robes, was slowly fading away on Harry's robe…as if he had never been sorted in the first place._

Chapter 2: Here We Go Again

It was very rare that the students of Hogwarts witnessed the four Heads of House walking together, least of all up towards the Hospital Wing and without the other members of staff; yet, at the request of Poppy Pomfrey, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout were all on their way up towards the medical area, the reason for their visit actually making one Severus Snape rather angry.

"So tell me again Minerva," he said as they walked along the corridor towards the Hospital Wing, "Why do I have to bother using any of my time for the Potter brat?"

"Believe me Severus," Minerva retorted, trying to maintain her somewhat civil demeanour around the Slytherin Head, "I would like to know that too, but if Poppy has ever proved one thing, it is that she doesn't lie about anything. So, given that she has called the four of us to her and to Mr Potter, I believe it would do you no harm if you could actually be nice, if not civil, to the boy. For Merlin's sake, Severus, he _is_ Lily's son as well as James: why must you only see your enemy in the boy when he has Lily's eyes?"

Severus didn't answer, instead, he looked to the right of Minerva where Filius was watching, clearly waiting for an answer while, at Snape's left, Pomona seemed to ask for an answer as well. Looking ahead, Severus could only try to maintain his own lethargic, apathetic mask that he had shown ever since that fated day: they didn't understand why he did this and he wasn't going to tell them.

He wasn't going to tell them about holding Lily's lifeless body in his arms, baby Harry crying for his Mummy in the background, Hagrid turning up and Severus willingly surrendering the child to the giant. He wasn't going to tell them about how Albus had practically ordered him to loathe and detest Harry just for the fact he _looked _like James. Didn't they think that Severus _knew_ that the boy had Lily's eyes? Didn't they wonder how or why he had gone after Black and Lupin if not to protect the boy?

His attention was distracted when Minerva knocked on the door to the Hospital Wing and Poppy emerged, her face almost pale with fright, her eyes showing tears while holding the same warmth and kindness that she had always held for her charges.

"Severus," she remarked, nodding to him, before addressing the others, "Minerva, Filius, Pomona, thank you for coming: I understand that for _some_ of you – she looked to Severus as she said that – this would be the last reason on earth for you to come here, but it is a matter of emergency."

"How is he Poppy?" asked Minerva, watching as the mediwitch led them into the Hospital Wing, the four of them catching sight of a curtain that had been pulled around the farthest bed, the familiar silhouettes of Harry and Hermione clear to the four of them, having seen the amount of times that Potter and Granger had been here.

Guiding them into her office, Poppy closed the door and put up her most powerful of privacy wards, before she asked, "Before I reveal anything, I must know: do the four of you respect and understand the students' social activities in the school?"

"Of course we do," Filius spoke up, "That's why we were given the respected position of Head of House."

"I understand that Filius," Poppy nodded in agreement, "But I particularly speak of the fast growing Hogwarts rumour mill as well as the need for certain secrets to be kept."

"Well I do," Minerva replied instantly, a part of her knowing where Poppy was going with this.

"As do I," added Pomona, "Such a responsibility comes with being the Head of the House of the Loyal."

"What about you?" asked Poppy, now fixing her glare on Severus, the very glare that had earned her the nickname _Dragon Lady_.

Severus, looking to his fellow Heads of House, looked then to the window that allowed Poppy to view the Hospital Wing; seeing the silhouettes of the two Gryffindors, Severus knew that he _had_ to have his own point answered. "Does this have anything to do with what's happened to Potter?"

"Yes," Poppy answered, "And for Merlin's sake Severus, do you honestly have to say his name with such a manner that it sounds like your jaws are glued together?"

Severus was knocked for six; Poppy hadn't meant to waste his time – in fact, she had no intentions to do anything except ask for his help and opinion. Not for the first time in his time since first meeting the boy did Severus Snape feel his magic almost pull at his heart, a certain life-debt and a certain promise coming into effect. This was deadly serious and, for whatever reason there was this time, Harry James Potter _really_ did need the help of all four Hogwarts Heads, and that included Severus Snape.

Feeling that familiar pull, and seeing that Poppy was still waiting for an answer to her first point, Severus answered honestly, "If it concerns Potter, then I will listen, but don't expect me to baby the boy."

"I wouldn't expect you to," Poppy replied, before she looked to each of the Heads as she explained, "Now, I need you all to swear an oath of secrecy that what is said here will be kept to this room. Not even Albus can learn of this: Merlin forbid if anyone else, especially the Prophet and that Skeeter witch heard about it."

Minerva, Filius and Pomona swore their oaths instantly, but Severus took a few moments, as well as another glance towards the bed that held the two Gryffindors, before he swore his oath, his magic tying the oath to the vow of protection that he had sworn to Lily.

Seeing the four flashes of light, Poppy gave a relieved smile, before she explained, "Now you'd better take a seat: but I promise you that you won't believe what I have to tell you."

_**WhoAmI?**_

When Hermione saw Madam Pomfrey leave her with Harry/Boy, the young Granger didn't know how to react to those empty, lifeless eyes just looking at her, that innocent smile filling Harry/Boy's face as he waited for her to speak. However, as Madam Pomfrey closed the curtain around their bed and Hermione heard someone knocking at the door to the Hospital Wing, she found that she didn't need to wait for Harry/Boy's reaction as he seemed to instinctively move into her arms, his eyes shut tight, his body shaking.

Looking at him, Hermione actually found it hard to think that this was the same Harry who had taken on a dragon and stood up to a full Azkaban's worth of Dementors. With him in her arms, Hermione actually wondered what this could mean for the future, especially where that surprise concerning the Gryffindor Crest was involved.

'Why would it fade like that?' She thought to herself, using her free hand to gently stroke Harry/Boy's hair, the young teen calming down, the shakes easing away as he looked up at her, the smile he had worn slowly returning.

"Don't be afraid," Hermione whispered, "If I'm right, then Madam Pomfrey has called in some help for us."

"Help?" asked Harry/Boy, "What kind of help 'Mione?"

'Mione?' she asked herself, a part of her liking it.

"Other adults witches and wizards," she explained, keeping him calm with her deft strokes, "Nobody who will hurt you Harry, you have my word."

"Okay 'Mione," Harry/Boy replied, "I trust you."

'Good,' thought Hermione, 'He's starting to come back to us: knowing I won't let anyone hurt him will keep him comfortable, but what will happen when we have to go back to the dormitory? What will I say to our friends? To the other students? To Ron?'

A low laugh escaped her throat as she actually pictured telling Ron: within 24 hours, the whole school would know; that boy wasn't known for his subtlety, but Hermione had only ever put up with the prat because Harry had been his friend. All Hermione ever saw in Ron was someone who caused arguments, cared only for Quidditch and dinner and never did anything until the last minute.

There was a Muggle term for those people: fair-weather friends: those who were only there when something happened that they could be involved in or only really nice when they needed – or wanted – something.

'And it's obvious what he wants from Harry,' she thought, looking to the young boy as he seemed to let his eyes explore their enclosed area. 'The last Heir of an Ancient Family: recognised Heir of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin thanks to his speaking Parseltongue and the sword of Gryffindor coming to his aid; not to mention all the fame and hype he has to put up with as the infamous Boy-Who-Lived. All Ron really sees in Harry is a one-way meal ticket and someone who, in years to come, would be considered a somebody just because he was best friends with the Boy-Who-Lived. Well,' she looked again to Harry/Boy as he looked to the table next to his bed, his head turned in confusion as he looked upon the few items there. 'I'll have to change that: I'm sorry Harry, but this time, he won't get anywhere near you.'

"What's up Harry?" she asked, noticing a look of confusion in the young teen's eyes.

"What's that?" asked Harry/Boy, pointing to something that made Hermione feel a sense of surprise: he was pointing at his own wand.

"That's a wand," Hermione explained, before an idea came to mind; reaching into her robe, she withdrew her own and held it out before them, "See? Here is mine: we use them to cast spells, though some witches and wizards are considered strong enough to use magic without a wand."

"So that one's mine?" asked Harry/Boy, "Did it belong to someone else?"

"No," Hermione replied, still holding her own wand as she asked, "Why do you ask?"

"The only things that were mine once belonged to Dudley," Harry/Boy answered, his eyes still entranced by the wand; slowly moving towards it, he asked, "Can I hold it?"

"It _is_ yours," Hermione explained, a part of her hoping that, with him holding his wand, Harry might regain some of his old self, maybe even his memories.

Harry/Boy, taking this answer as a yes, held out his hand; however, no sooner had his fingers been barely an inch from the wand than he pulled back, his eyes wide and almost terrified as he looked to Hermione.

"What's wrong?" she asked, slightly worried at the sense of fear she could see in those emerald orbs of his.

"I…I don't want to touch it," he explained, his eyes looking now to Hermione's wand, "It feels…wrong; can a wand be bad?"

"No," Hermione replied, before she held out her own wand again, "What about mine Harry?"

Harry tentatively stretched out his arm, his fingers brushing against Hermione's as he wrapped them around her wand, his eyes calm once more as he said, "Nothing: yours feels safe and welcoming 'Mione: like you."

'His wand feels bad?' thought Hermione, 'But, from what I read on a witch or wizard's magic, the wand really does choose the wizard, so why would Harry's feel wrong…unless…' Her eyes trailed over to the wand, which still lay on the tabletop, Harry/Boy still holding Hermione's hand as she looked from the wand to him.

An idea; a crazy, dare-to-think-it idea came to Hermione: on one hand, it was impossible, but if it was true, then it would explain why Harry had always been different to other first years; why others had always seemed to perfect spells while Harry had relied on his skills and his saving people complex.

"Hermione?" Harry/Boy looked at her with a near-worried expression, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Hermione answered, moving their joined hands away from her wand and resting them on the sheets of the bed, her dark brown eyes looking at Harry/Boy with a new sense and purpose. One way or another, be it in memory or magic, there would be a new Harry James Potter at Hogwarts and Hermione decided, with a little help from Harry/Boy's revelations, that she would be the one to help him find his true self.

To her, it wasn't like Harry had lost his memory; it was like, for the past four years, he had been living in a dream filled with danger, lies and deceptions; now, Hermione was going to help Harry wake up and see the real world and the real life.

His life.

_**WhoAmI?**_

"You're joking?" asked Filius when Poppy had finished her explanations; all of them, even Severus, had remained silent, but, when Poppy told them about the fading crest and the powerful readings of magical ability that her scans had picked up, not one of them could stay quiet. "If he has all this power, then why hasn't he shown it? No offence to the poor lad, but he's always seemed a little lacking in the spell department."

"Well he's always been a real ignoramus in the Potions," Severus scoffed, making all four of his cohorts glare at him.

"How can he not?" asked Minerva, "When you pair him with someone equally as weak and Potions-stupid as Ronald Weasley? I hate to insult my own House, Severus, but I actually do wonder how that boy became a Gryffindor: the only time he's shown any real talent is when he was hailed as the hero at Mr Potter's side."

"I have to agree with Minerva," Pomona put in, "Though he does show remarkable understanding of Herbology; it's almost as if a greenhouse, or the working with plants, is a second nature to him."

"Which now begs the question," Minerva added, "What have those relatives of his been doing to him and, if Poppy is right and this is permanent, how can we bring Potter back?"

"We can't," Poppy explained, "While Miss Granger…while Hermione was keeping him calm and happy, I used every scan I could think of, including a spell I learned to see whether someone had suffered the Obliviate spell: that came back negative because, in a nutshell, there's nothing to forget and nothing to remember. Potter…Harry's mental capacity and magical knowledge goes as far back as July 31st four years ago when the poor boy was told he was a wizard."

"So he can remember everything before that, but nothing after?" asked Minerva, "That must be why his crest is fading: in his mind and magic, he was never sorted into Hogwarts, but the last thing he remembers is being called a freak."

"Which means, in his mind," agreed Filius, "He never accepted his Hogwarts letter, so why do the school wards still allow him to be here?"

"Because of who he is."

Those were the last words that Minerva had expected to hear from Severus Snape, let alone for those words to be filled with a sense of pain and realisation that made the very air suddenly grow cold with emotions.

"And who is that?" asked Poppy, "What do you know Severus?"

"Not know," Severus answered, "Known: always known since the Duelling Club incident in his second year: Minerva, tell me, did Albus speak with you after Potter and Weasley rescued the younger Weasley from the Chamber?"

"No," answered McGonagall, "Why?"

"He spoke to me," Severus explained, "And what he said will stick with me forever: you see Minerva, Potter had believed that the Dark Lord had transferred some of his power to him, but, in reality, the Dark Lord transferred more than that: a lot more. Parseltongue, you see, is not a trait that can be passed around or transferred, it can only be _inherited_."

"What?" asked Minerva, "Severus, you're not serious, are you?"

"I am," Severus answered, "And then, when he said that, he revealed something about Potter's sorting: the boy was almost placed into Slytherin, but the second choice was Gryffindor: be serious Minerva, when has the hat, in our years of teaching, ever made a mistake with a sorting?"

"N…never," Minerva admitted, "But the only thing that could change its mind is…"

"The will of the Founders themselves," Filius remarked, "Only if someone with the lineage that tied them to more than one Founder could change the mind of their spiritual vassal."

"So," Pomona finished, "If what you say is true Severus, then Mr Potter is not just the Boy-Who-Lived; he is also…"

"The Heir of Godric Gryffindor," gasped Minerva.

"Yes," agreed Severus, "And Salazar Slytherin and now, thanks to his mind being blanked out, he doesn't recall any of that and the school, recognising its master, doesn't just _allow_ Potter…Harry to be here, she welcomes him with open arms."

"Should we tell him?" asked Filius.

"Eventually we will," Minerva explained, "And by that, I don't mean to manipulate this to my own cause, not unlike a certain headmaster we all know, but, for now, we have to help Harry adjust to this world and that starts now: come on, let's go and say hello."

Severus, watching his cohorts leave the room, rubbed his eyes and then let his hand massage an area at the back of his neck: Minerva's slip about Albus' manipulations was closer to the truth than she would ever believe.

'But,' Severus thought, 'Do I stick with my obligations or do I keep my promise to my old friend?'

_**WhoAmI?**_

"Harry?"

Harry/Boy and Hermione both looked to the gap in their curtains as Madam Pomfrey pulled the curtains away, revealing four strangers that Hermione seemed both comfortable and suspicious around. Looking back to her friend, Hermione was surprised to see Harry/Boy looking not to McGonagall, Flitiwck or Sprout, but to the dark, pale figure of Severus Snape, her own eyes watching the Potions Master warily.

"Hello there Harry," McGonagall was speaking, "How are you feeling?"

Hearing such a kind remark from McGonagall, Hermione had barely counted to three in her mind before Harry/Boy's shyness came back and he seemed to try and hide behind her.

"Don't worry Harry," Hermione insisted, her kind smile and gentle touch filling the young teen with confidence, "These are Madam Pomfrey's friends: allow me to introduce Professors Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout and Sniv…I mean Severus Snape."

Severus wasn't going to let that little slip go un-noticed, but, as long as he was needed to play nice, he would be nice…for now; Filius had to look up to Harry/Boy as he nodded his head while Pomona and Minerva took seats around the bed, the Head of Gryffindor trying to hide her worry for what would always be her favourite lion.

"Hello there," Harry/Boy replied, "Are you all wizards?"

"Yes we are," Minerva replied, "Each with our own special skills: we are the heads of what you would call…teams called Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Hermione there is a Gryffindor and I am her…team leader and, without sounding too biased, she is one of my brightest and best students since the days that your parents were here."

"Minerva!" gasped Poppy, but Harry/Boy had heard the comment.

"My parents weren't wizards," he insisted, "They were drunken freaks who decided to get themselves killed in a car crash."

"A car crash?" asked Filius, Minerva providing the angry glares that all of them wanted to show: Poppy had been right: the boy remembered nothing.

"That's what Aunt and Uncle always said," Harry/Boy explained, "But they also say that they wanted to escape having a monster like me for a son."

"What?" roared Severus, surprising everyone, especially Hermione who noticed that Harry/Boy hadn't moved to hide from the rage: either he was growing confident again or he actually _did_ trust Severus.

"Professor Snape sir, you may want to keep your voice down," Hermione advised, "There are quite a few things that Harry doesn't know about: this can wait, I'm sure."

"Miss Granger, do not pretend to accept that you are an expert in these things," Severus scowled, "You will keep your mouth shut or else I…"

His words were cut off when Filius actually had to duck and Pomona had to move aside as Severus went flying through the air, coming to land against the wall, his head crashing into the brickwork.

The next thing they heard, however, was a small, innocent voice sobbing; looking to the bed, Minerva and Filius were stunned when they saw Harry/Boy in Hermione's lap, his hair being stroked by the young Granger, the young Potter whimpering, "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to; please don't hurt me; I know; there's no such thing as magic; it was a freaky thing and I'm a freak."

"No you're not," Hermione insisted, her hand still brushing down Harry/Boy's hair. "You used Accidental Magic Harry; Madam Pomfrey was right: you are very powerful."

"I'll say," Filius remarked, "How far did he throw Severus?"

"More like how hard?" asked Pomona, looking to the Potions Master, who was being overlooked by Madam Pomfrey, though something almost seemed different about him.

His eyes were on Harry/Boy, a look of shock, awe and guilt in his eyes as he glanced at the weeping child; it was a look that Filius, Pomona, Poppy and Minerva would never admit to seeing on the Potions Master.

"Harry," Minerva then spoke up, "Why did you do that?"

"He yelled at Hermione," Harry retorted, "She's my friend and promised not to hurt me; I won't let anyone upset her."

"He threw Severus across the Hospital Wing because he yelled at Miss Granger?" asked Pomona, "That's more than Accidental Magic: that's focused magic, a feat that no young student could manage."

"Unless the magic they focused was something they couldn't control," Hermione added, still holding Harry/Boy as she continued, "Such as magic that had been bound or sealed away, but who'd that to Harry?"

'Who else?' thought Minerva, watching as Severus kept his distance, his eyes still on Harry, 'Albus.'

"Miss Granger," Minerva spoke up, "You seem to have made an impression on young Harry: why don't you explain to him what really happened?"

"Yes ma'am," Hermione nodded, looking at Harry/Boy, who had now sat up and was looking at her with a sense of hope in his eyes. "Your parents," she explained to him, "Died by magical means Harry, but they died…saving the world."

Minerva, Filius and Pomona had to keep themselves calm as Miss Granger continued speaking, "They were two great and powerful wizards who died as heroes and, contrary to what your Uncle would say, they were not freaks because, even though their deaths were unexpected, they left behind a great and powerful child: you."

"So they're like superheroes?" asked Harry/Boy, looking to Hermione, drinking in the kind words he was hearing about his family.

"Yes," Minerva replied, partially thankful that the young child couldn't recall the whole truth. "And their heroic death and their legacy lives on in you."

"So I'm not a freak?"

"No you're not," Minerva smiled at him, giving Harry the same warmth he had felt from Hermione and the others…even Severus.

"And I'm not just Boy?"

"No," Hermione told him.

Harry; he was Harry; Harry Potter, son of two mighty wizards who gave their lives saving the world; his relatives had lied and hoped for him to be weakened; they had wanted to leave him alone in the world.

Harry needed to know the answer to one last question, "Would they be proud of me?"

"Yes," Minerva replied.

"With all their hearts," Filius agreed.

"Because you are not just another wizard Mr Potter," Pomona smiled.

"You are a very powerful young man," Poppy explained.

"And every inch of you is whatever you choose to make it," Hermione agreed, "And I want to be there to help you."

"And so do I," Severus added, looking at Harry as he explained, "If you can forgive me for upsetting your friend, then I would like to help you adjust to your new powers."

"I would like that," Harry nodded, "Yes please Mr Snape."

"It's Professor Harry," Hermione told him, "They're teachers here who will help you learn about your magic, but, Professors, where will Harry stay? He doesn't really have a…team, does he?"

"Then," Severus spoke up, "I propose that young…Harry have his own…team with you, Miss Granger and a team where, until such a decision can be made, the four of us will help mentor him as will some _outside_ assistance."

"A nice idea Severus," Minerva nodded, agreeing with the decision for Harry and Hermione to spend time together: she had made a real impression on the young boy and now, like Severus thought, if they were separated then Harry would lose his confidence and that was something Minerva wouldn't allow to happen.

"But where will they stay?" asked Filius.

"Given Miss Granger is a Gryffindor," Poppy suggested, "May I suggest Godric's Chamber?"

"But that hasn't been opened in nearly sixty years," Minerva gasped, before she caught Harry's eye and added, "But I think Harry should decide."

Harry, looking to these nice people who were giving him a chance to learn all about himself, asked, "Will 'Mione be with me?"

"Always," Hermione explained, "I'll learn with you and help you adjust to your new powers; I promise you that Harry."

"Then," Harry smiled, "I'd like the Chamber that…Professor McGonagall suggested…please."

"Very well," Minerva nodded, "I'll have Miss Granger's things sent there and you two will spend tonight in here: now, I do believe we have lessons to be watching over, so Poppy and Miss Granger will remain here with you Harry and, tomorrow morning, we'll take you up to the new Chamber, all right?"

"Yes ma'am," Harry replied, watching as the teachers all left; however, when they were gone, Hermione suddenly had a thought that made her blood run cold.

Looking to Harry, she asked, "Would it be okay if I went to have a quick word with Professor McGonagall Harry?"

"Will you come back?"

"Yes; don't worry, I won't leave you alone Harry, you have my word."

"Thank you 'Mione," Harry replied, before he smiled at her, that innocent smile making Hermione feel sorry for leaving him, but this was important, "Okay."

_**WhoAmI?**_

Hermione managed to catch up with the teachers as they reached the Grand Staircase; calling out to her Head of House, Hermione gasped, "Professor, wait please: there's something I just thought about."

Stopping at the top of the stairwell, Severus wanted to take points, but had a feeling that Harry would be disappointed and, if that happened, the Potions Master would lose his confidence-gained role with the young teenager.

"What is it Miss Granger?" asked Minerva.

Hermione had to double over and catch her breath, before she looked to her Head of House and explained, "Ma'am, I was just wondering: what's Harry going to do about the Tournament? It is a magically-binding contract and he is a Champion."

"Oh no," Severus gasped.

"Miss Granger is right," Filius agreed, "Mr Potter needs to compete else he will lose his magic and, given that he has just learned he has it, I don't think that's something we want to happen."

"All right," Minerva agreed, "Calm down Filius: first, we'll work on helping him tame his magic and then we will help him with the Tournament: to hell with the rules; if he goes into the task, he will be killed. Miss Granger, do not abandon him."

"Yes Ma'am," Hermione nodded, before she added, "Oh and there's something else you should know: I think…I mean it's possible but, I think that Harry's magic may have been bound."

"What?" asked Severus, "What proof do you have Miss Granger?"

"Proof?" asked Hermione, "Nothing concrete, but he couldn't touch his wand; he said it felt wrong."

Minerva, Severus, Filius and Pomona all shared a glance before the Head of Gryffindor looked to her favourite female student and nodded slowly, her eyes full of concern as she instructed, "Watch him Miss Granger and, in the mean time, help him calm his emotions: if he could throw Severus across the room because he thought the man upset you, then Merlin forbid anyone who would _really_ insult you. I will have to arrange a visit to Gringotts and then to Ollivander's so that we can see about this falsehood: Miss Granger, I think it would be best if you accompany us."

"Yes professor," Hermione replied, before she recalled a certain promise, "Got to go; Harry will think I abandoned him."

As the brunette raced back to the Hospital Wing, the others were very surprised when they heard Severus Snape chuckling; looking to the man as if he had two heads, Minerva asked, "And what are you sniggering about?"

"Oh nothing Minerva," Severus answered, "I was just thinking that there was more chance of Salazar Slytherin walking through the main doors of Hogwarts than there was of Miss Granger abandoning young Harry."

As the Potions Master made his way down to the dungeons following that remark, his cloak billowing around him in that mystifying fashion, Minerva, Filius and Pomona all actually found that this day would bring three miracles:

First: Severus Snape being nice to Harry Potter;

Second: Severus Snape laughing;

And third: the other Heads of House agreeing with the almost-always apathetic Head of Slytherin House: Hermione would never abandon Harry and he would never let anyone harm or insult her.

As she returned to her office near Gryffindor Tower, Minerva actually found herself repeating her statement from the stairwell:

Merlin help anybody who harmed or insulted Hermione Granger in the presence of Harry Potter…

_**Chapter 2 and it seems there's a flaw in the plan to reintroduce Harry to the wizarding world, but what will Minerva, Hermione and the others do to help Harry in the Tournament?**_

_**Plus, I wonder who will be the first to make the mistake of insulting Hermione in the presence of this new Harry? (Rhetorical Question)**_

_**Keep Reading to Find Out…**_

_**Next Chapter: Somebody makes the mistake of insulting Hermione in Harry's presence, but the result of that leaves Gryffindors scared; plus, there's a return from an old friend and Severus Snape wants revenge on those who left Harry in hell; also, Hermione tells Harry about the Tournament, but is left stuck when Harry asks about…Voldemort: can she hide the truth or will this be the end before it's all begun?**_

_**Please Read and Review…**_


	4. 3: A Twist Of Fate

Who Am I? A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Ginny

Draco/Astoria

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

_**Review Answers:**_

_**Monnbeam: There will be those who side with Harry from all four Houses, so don't be worried;**_

_**Voldemort Is Dead: Don't worry, I have a plan to make sure that Dumbledore gets his just desserts;**_

_**Bensdad: I would like to know what you mean by that plot; also, I guarantee that Draco and Snape will show their somewhat nicer sides soon;**_

_**Undermann: I have planned how Harry will react to the first insult, but eventually, your wish is my command ;-)**_

_**Redwoodx: This chapter may interest you with those theories; also, as to who Hermione goes to the Ball with: why ask questions to which you already know the answers?**_

_**Slytherin66: All good points that will come to pass: don't worry, I do have a pretty good idea concerning Dumbledore and how Harry gets his fortune;**_

_**Mrs Vega: I'm glad to hear from a familiar friend;**_

_**MariusDarkwolf: Obviously it's Dead-Man, but I might put in a quick punishment scene for dragon-chow: after all, he'll need a reason to be nice to Harry, right?**_

_As she returned to her office near Gryffindor Tower, Minerva actually found herself repeating her statement from the stairwell:_

_Merlin help anybody who harmed or insulted Hermione Granger in the presence of Harry Potter…_

Chapter 3: A Twist Of Fate

When Hermione returned to the Hospital Wing, her mind buzzing as she tried to work out why Harry's magic would be bound and, if they were right, who would want to do that to her friend, she was surprised to see that Harry had seemingly shuffled to the end of the bed and reached into Hermione's bag, which she had left there when she visited. But what surprised her was that Harry was actually reading through what appeared to be a book on duelling and defensive spells, his eyes showing awe and wonder at this new world he was exploring.

Calmly approaching him, Hermione asked, "Enjoying the book?"

"Oh," gasped Harry, quickly closing the book and placing it next to him, "Erm…yes; sorry Hermione, I know I should have asked…but I don't know what came over me."

With one of her trademark smiles, Hermione sat next to Harry and, picking up the book, opened it to the page she had seen Harry reading, before handing him the book back. "It's okay Harry; believe me, when I found out I was a witch, I did as much reading as I could and, when I found that it could help my friends, I just carried on."

"Mione?" asked Harry, using her new nickname in an act of friendly talk.

"Yes Harry?"

"How did we become friends?"

Hermione felt her hear grow cold: what could she tell him?

That, thanks to a red-headed asshole, she was upset and drawn into a toilet where a fully-grown mountain troll nearly killed her?

That she was saved by the same red-head as well as Harry and that, even before that, she had been a nobody?

'No,' Hermione thought, 'That's the _dream_ world that Harry's experienced: his rebirth, his regeneration begins now.'

"Well," she answered, watching as Harry seemed to return his attention to the book, "We met on a train back in our first year: I was helping someone else look for something that had been lost and, when I came to your compartment, you accepted me as your friend. In truth Harry, you were the first real friend I ever had: someone who didn't see me as a bossy-haired buck-toothed know-it-all who just cared about the rules."

"Who'd call you that?" asked Harry worriedly, his eyes almost shining with raw magic as he continued, "Who'd bully you to the point where you had no friends?"

"Just idiots," Hermione answered, placing her hand in his, "No need to get angry Harry: it doesn't matter what others think because our friendship has always been so strong."

Harry gave a sigh, his emerald eyes no longer burning as he grew comfortable against his pillow, the book now propped up on his knees, "I'm glad 'Mione: I'll never allow anyone to upset you because no-one should ever have that kind of life."

"Harry?" Hermione suddenly asked, a note of real interest in her voice. "There was something I always wanted to ask you, but I never did because I feared it would upset you: I hate to ask you now, given what you've endured, but if I do, will you promise not to be upset?"

"Sure 'Mione," Harry replied, turning a page in the book as he asked, "What is it?"

"Well," Hermione answered, "I was just wondering: what was your life like with your Aunt and Uncle?"

She saw Harry's hand gripping the edge of the book rather tight, his eyes once more glowing with raw magic, his fingers becoming bone-white as he seemed to hesitate with his answer.

Fearing another magical explosion, Hermione placed her hand against his once more as she explained, "It's all right: you don't have to tell me now; I'm sorry I asked you about it; we can talk about something else."

"Thank you," Harry smiled, the colour returning to his fingers, the raw magic dying down in his eyes as he asked, "Can you tell me more about the teams Professor McGonagall mentioned?"

"Sure," Hermione replied, before launching into a full explanation about life at Hogwarts, purposely avoiding any mention of pureblood bigotry, bullying or conflicts within the school. She also avoided telling Harry about the discrimination against her kind as she feared what he could do to a certain ferret in this raw, magically-fuelled state. When she spoke about the loyalty shown by _Team_ Gryffindor, Hermione noticed then that Harry seemed to actually remember something. Keeping her voice calm, and her hopes where they were, she asked, "What is it?"

"My parents were Gryffindors weren't they?" he asked, Hermione then noticing a damp surface under his eyes; was he crying?

"Yes," she answered, "Head Boy and Girl in their day; Prefects and members of the magical sport known as Quidditch; your Father was even hailed as the greatest in his year. But how do you know that?"

"I think," Harry replied, "They talked about it…before they died."

'Repressed memories,' Hermione wondered, her eyes on Harry, 'Talking about the school must have unlocked that very short time with his parents; I wonder if he knows about Sirius and Remus?'

Rather than press for further information, Hermione took a deep breath before she asked, "Now, is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"How did I get here?"

_That_ was the last question Hermione had wanted to answer, but she knew that Harry deserved to know about the Tournament, otherwise there was no real hope of Professor McGonagall and the others helping him with the second task…whatever it was.

"Well," she replied, hoping to twist the current situation into one he wouldn't just understand, but be willing to accept; otherwise, if Harry tried to escape the Tournament, then his magic would pay the price. "At the current moment, the school is in the middle of a Tournament, sort of a competition between Hogwarts and two other magical schools from around the world. Now, to our surprise, you were selected as the Hogwarts contestant for this Tournament, which was a surprise simply because Hogwarts had a contestant; a couple of days ago, the first…_level_ of this competition came around and, in the midst of it, you were hurt."

"How?"

"You were thrown into a wall," Hermione lied; hoping Harry wouldn't press for more. Thankfully, he didn't, so she continued, "Now, the next level of the tournament is in February, but, between now and then, we'll need to train your magic so that you can pass to the final level and, if hope and luck are on your side, then you will become the Champion."

"And is that why you have these books?" asked Harry, "Because you wanted to help me win the tournament?"

"That's right," Hermione smiled, "And I will Harry: when you went into the First Task, nobody wanted to help because we already had a champion; I managed to hide the fact I was helping you, but I won't any more, okay?"

"Okay 'Mione," Harry replied, calmly leaning back and closing his eyes, a contented smile on his face.

"Tired?" asked Hermione.

"Mmm," answered the Fourth Champion sleepily.

"Well why don't I let you get some sleep?"

"Will you stay with me?"

Hermione knew that she still had some homework to do, but this was a more pressing matter: for the first time in her Hogwarts life, Hermione would wait for her homework while Harry recovered. Pulling up one of the chairs conjured by McGonagall, she answered, "Sure; and I'll be still here when you wake up, I promise. Go on," she added, "Lie down and believe me when I say that you're safe here Harry."

Gently clambering under his covers, Harry laid his head on the pillow and closed his eyes, Hermione removing his glasses while she watched him, fully aware that, as his eyes drooped and his smile remained on his face, she would be the last thing he saw before going to sleep.

"Sleep well Harry," Hermione replied, before the soft sound of her friend's breathing filled her ears; content with the fact he was asleep, Hermione crafted a privacy ward that she had learned some time before, her eyes still on Harry as she closed the curtains around him and, looking through the gap, quietly left the bedside of her best friend.

She barely reached the Fat Lady's portrait before she doubled back and wandered down to McGonagall's office; knocking on the door, Hermione found that she was admitted, another privacy ward around the room as Minerva asked, "How is he?"

"Sleeping," Hermione replied, taking a seat with her Head of House, "He…he asked about the Tournament and I told him that he was a contestant."

"Does he know that he'll lose his magic?"

"No," Hermione replied, her mask breaking as she finally began to accept the truth; seeing the look, Minerva summoned a box of tissues and watched as the young Gryffindor wept into them, her voice remaining strong as she said, "I told him that I would help him win and I will, but…Professor…how long can it be hidden?"

"As long as we can manage," Minerva replied, gently placing a hand on Hermione's shoulders, "For Harry's sake, the school cannot find out that he has no memory. There would be those who would take advantage of him and those that would even hurt him, but we, Miss Granger, we can accept the fact as much as we want and, from tomorrow, you can rest in the knowledge that he is with you."

"Yes," agreed Hermione, "We have to accept it: our Harry, the brave, reckless Gryffindor is gone and he's never coming back, but this Harry _is_ our Harry and, if you can Professor, I'd like your help to help him."

"Whatever do you mean Hermione?" asked Minerva, deciding to use the girl's name as a sign she could speak openly to the Gryffindor Head.

In quick sentences, Hermione explained about her theories and the fact that, as far as the new Harry was concerned, he had been living a dangerous life fraught with people who wanted to either use, abuse or kill him and now, with the complete memory wipe within his mind, it was like he was waking up from a four-year long dream and how Hermione was determined to bring Harry into the real world: his world; his life; his freedom.

When she was done, Minerva smiled and nodded once, "I can help you there Hermione, but we'll need a friendly face and, luckily, I think I have an idea on how to do that."

"How?" asked Hermione.

"Let's just say," Minerva replied, "That I didn't get the Head of Gryffindor position for being ignorant of anything wrong or, failing that, _illegal_ being performed by my students."

"I don't understand," Hermione replied, before Minerva walked around her desk and whispered her plan to the young Granger, Hermione's eyes getting wider with each passing second until, when the Professor stood tall once more, Hermione could only nod, a smile of agreement and friendly intentions on her face.

"I think that's a very good idea Professor."

_**WhoAmI?**_

Returning to the Hospital Wing, Hermione was still beaming with the idea presented by Professor McGonagall, all her traits of sticking to the rules and being the bossy know-it-all vanishing in an instant as she reasoned, and knew that this was all for Harry's benefit. Carefully parting the curtain, Hermione sat down on the chair next to her friend and took his hand, the young teen still sleeping soundly as she sat there.

"Harry," she whispered, "I am always going to be here for you and, in a few days, so will a very old, very loyal friend."

_**WhoAmI?**_

"AHHHHHH!"

Harry's screams tore Hermione from her sleep, the young witch looking to her friend as he seemed to look dead ahead, his face pale and sweaty, his emerald eyes not just glowing with raw magic, but burning brightly like two emerald fires in his head, the result of that magic causing the area around them to tremble dangerously.

Taking his hand, Hermione risked a magical lashing as she asked, "Harry, what's the matter? It's all right: I'm here and I'm not going to let anything harm you: come on, please, you're…you're scaring me."

It was like the s-word was water being poured on the fire; Harry's intense glow was dimmed, his magic seemed to recede and, with shaking fingers, he reached out and cupped Hermione's cheek, the young witch shocked that he was actually looking at her without the aid of his glasses.

Finally, with an equally trembling voice, Harry spoke up, "I…I'm s-s-sorry Mione; I didn't mean to scare you; did I hurt you?"

"No," she smiled, liking the touch of his hand on her cheek, "You didn't hurt me Harry, but you did wake me up. What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

"I s-s-saw someone," Harry explained, "He m-m-made me feel w-w-weak," his fear was causing him to stammer his words, but, as Hermione's gentle touch remained on his hand, Harry slowly eased himself back to his normal self. "He s-said it was for the G-Greater G-Good that I remember nothing about m-my magic; then th-there was this flash and I only felt p-pain."

"What did this pain feel like?" asked Hermione, gently tracing her fingers over the back of Harry's hand, soothing him with gentle circular massages on his skin.

"It w-was in m-my head," Harry explained, "M-my scar was hurting and w-when I tried to use m-magic, it would only hurt more."

'His scar?' thought Hermione, 'Why? I thought the scar came from V-Voldemort's encounter with Harry when he was a baby! Could his scar be nothing more than that? But if that's true, then where does his pain come from?'

She decided to test this theory; still gently massaging his skin, Hermione instructed him, "Harry, I want you to reach into my robe pocket and take my wand, okay?"

When he did, Hermione noticed how much calmer he seemed; recalling how he had said her wand felt soft and warm with him, Hermione hoped her plan would work. "All right Harry, now, quietly so we don't wake Madam Pomfrey, point the wand in front of you and say Lumos."

Holding the wand before him, Harry took a breath and whispered, "_Lumos_."

A pure white light emerged from the end of Hermione's wand, a trail of light actually crossing the area between the wand and the end curtain: Hermione was stunned; there had never been a Lumos cast so powerfully before, least of all with another person's wand. She decided to try a much harder spell; telling Harry to cancel the magic with the word Nox, Hermione continued, "Now, when you were in school last year, you were taught a very powerful spell that only you have ever managed at such a young age: point my wand again, but make sure you're thinking of something happy and then say Expecto Patronum."

Harry was slightly stunned that he had managed to master a spell at a young age: was Hermione right about him being so powerful and, if so, why would his nightmare hurt him so much?

Pointing the wand once more, Harry tried to think of something happy, but all he found was pain and being called freak; then, as he was about to tell Hermione that he couldn't do it, he found her face, clear as day, being formed in his mind. Holding that thought, as well as the warm, friendly, comfortable feeling that she had given to him, Harry commanded, "_Expecto Patronum!_"

Prongs manifested himself in a powerful burst of white light, his body and antlered head a hell of a lot more corporeal than the last time Hermione had seen the Patronus. Standing proudly at the end of Harry's bed, the Patronus then walked around and, to Hermione's shock, nuzzled the hand of its young caster. Was that even possible? Could a Patronus interact with its human caster so easily that it appeared flesh and blood?

Clearing her throat, Hermione spoke again, "Well done Harry; you really do possess power; now, let go of the magic: don't worry, you'll be able to see him again."

Doing as he was told, Harry released the magic keeping Prongs in this world, before the Patronus vanished in a wisp of white magic, the young caster almost smiling with tears in his eyes. Seeing this reaction, Hermione asked, "What is it?"

"Dad," Harry replied simply, "That was my Dad, or at least his spirit: it exists inside me as my magical friend."

"Harry," Hermione whispered, "How do you know he's your…"

"I…I don't know," Harry replied, still smiling, "I just remember a deer like that when I was a baby; always making me laugh and keeping me as safe and happy as you do Hermione."

'I knew it,' Hermione thought, 'Repressed memories: my guess is that he tapped into some great power as a baby, and not just the power to defeat Voldemort, but a truly powerful level of magic and then, one day before being given to his relatives, somebody bound his magic and locked it within his scar, which could only mean that _he_ doesn't want to hurt Harry…hmm…I wonder…'

Her eyes went to Harry's scar before a thought, a crazy, but possible thought surfaced within Hermione:

'Could there be more to Harry's scar than just being a scar?'

_**WhoAmI?**_

Hermione managed to get Harry back to sleep, but this time she took a Pepper-Up Potion and remained awake with him through the early hours of the morning, always watching her young friend with a sense of worry, wonder and curiosity: magic had been brought back to Harry from his childhood and, with that magic, there came a sense of memory from Harry's earliest years: the times he would never get to experience; the time with his family and the happiness with his parents.

When the sounds of activity passed through the Hospital Wing, Hermione cancelled the ward around Harry's bed and opened the curtains, just as said boy opened his eyes and, looking at her, smiled as he asked, "Have you been watching me all morning Mione?"

"I wanted to make sure that you slept well," Hermione replied, before she noted the smile on his face as she asked, "Good dream?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, "I was with Dad and he was letting me ride on his back like a horse; he took me all around the school and told me something."

With a smile of her own, Hermione asked, "What did he tell you Harry?"

"To know that I am safe with my friends and that I will never again be weakened; he then," he placed a hand on his chest as he explained, "He went inside me and said his spirit would always protect me."

'Magical familiar?' wondered Hermione, 'Or just a dream representative of his magical power?'

Either way, she was glad that Harry was smiling again: she would never admit it, but he _had_ scared her when the scream and resulting magical backlash had occurred, but, when she saw that smile, it was like Hermione knew she would always have Harry as her friend and that her fears were his fears: it was why, she reasoned, he had sworn that nobody would upset or harm her.

The sound of the door opening made both wizards look up, Hermione's fears continuing to fade as she saw Professor McGonagall walk into the Hospital Wing, but when Hermione saw the second wizard enter, she was worried for Harry: she now knew who Snape had meant when he had offered for outside help and, while it was a good idea, Hermione didn't know how Harry would react to the newcomer.

"Hello Mr Potter," Minerva spoke with the same calm tone she had the day before, "How are you?"

"Fine ma'am," Harry replied, before he surprised them all with his next words:

"Hello again Remus."

_**A fairly shorter Chapter 3, but enough of an introduction for Harry to begin to accept the world he's in; the only question is: how does he know Remus?**_

_**Also, what will those who wish to protect him do when they find out about Harry's nightmare?**_

_**Keep Reading to Find Out…**_

_**Next Chapter: Somebody makes the mistake of insulting Hermione in Harry's presence, but the result of that leaves Gryffindors scared; plus, Severus Snape wants revenge on those who left Harry in hell; also, Hermione is left stuck when Harry asks about…Voldemort: can she hide the truth?**_

_**Please Read and Review…**_

_**The idea for Harry's dream concerning Prongs is similar to the dreams used in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles about the kudan:**_

_**However, Prongs will NOT be Harry's familiar!**_


	5. 4: One Warning Only

Who Am I? A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Ginny

Draco/Astoria

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

_**Review Answers:**_

_**Hazumu77: Hedwig will return to Harry pretty soon;**_

_**Mwinter1: I hope the explanation in this chapter suffices;**_

_**Slytherin66: I enjoyed writing about the younger years for Harry; believe me, I have plans for those damned Dursleys; external friendships MIGHT appear, but not for a while: I might use Amelia for the OOTP section of the story; don't know;**_

_**MariusDarkwolf: Well, actually, when I wrote this chapter, I had your story in mind (Eyes of the Serpent) and used something similar to describe Harry's reaction and the others seeing what 'Dead-Man' can't; as for 'dragon-chow' he'll learn his lesson soon when the Yule Ball comes into play;**_

"_Hello Mr Potter," Minerva spoke with the same calm tone she had the day before, "How are you?"_

"_Fine ma'am," Harry replied, before he surprised them all with his next words:_

"_Hello again Remus."_

Chapter 4: One Warning Only

Remus Lupin, Minerva McGonagall and Hermione Granger all stared in shock at the smiling Harry, the young wizard rubbing his hands together as if to keep warm. Looking at the man before him, Harry asked, "What's wrong Remus? Don't tell me you've lost your memory as well?"

Remus couldn't help, but laugh at Harry's question; with a shake of his head, he answered, "No I haven't Harry, but how do you know who I am?"

"I remember you," Harry explained, "You were at my house when I was a baby: you and Dad always laughed and joked about how I was going to be a real lady killer."

"Yes," Remus agreed, a confused look on his face, "But how do you…"

"Does it matter?" asked Hermione, her eyes telling Remus to drop it, "The important thing is that you are someone he recognises: now, Harry?" She turned back to her friend as she asked, "Would you mind if I had a private word with Professor McGonagall and Remus?"

"No Mione," Harry replied, "I know you'll come back to me."

Nodding in agreement, Hermione then watched as Madam Pomfrey walked over and, gently taking Harry's hand, went to get him cleaned up, as well as changed into a fresh set of robes. Once she was sure that her friend was gone, Hermione turned back to Remus as she explained, "Listen Remus, it's important that you go along with Harry at the moment: if I'm right, then Harry may have lost his memories of Hogwarts, but, somehow, have regained repressed memories from his short time with his parents."

"But," gasped McGonagall, "If that's true, then it would mean that poor Harry has had his memories rewritten at a young age."

"Precisely," Hermione agreed, "It's exactly what I was wondering myself Professor: I mean, doesn't anyone else think it weird that he didn't know anything about Remus and believed that…" she looked back to the shower area, before adding, "Padfoot had betrayed his family so easily? And what about when Oliver made him Seeker? The fact that your Father used to be a great flyer sounds like something they'd boast about quite often: and what about his magic? Surely, even as a child, he showed great magical prowess, given how powerful a simple Lumos was as well as…what happened this morning."

"What _did_ happen?" asked Remus, a growl rippling in his voice: he had just come down off a change, so pissing him off would have been a big mistake.

"I began teaching him a few spells," Hermione explained, "And I told him about Expecto Patronum: it's still a stag, but it's what happened with the stag that I'm talking about."

"And what's that?"

"When he cast it," Hermione explained, "The stag Patronus of his was almost flesh and blood: it even nuzzled his palm and stood protectively between him and the bed-curtains. Remus, if someone talks about a corporeal Patronus, then this was like a Hyper-Corporeal Patronus; it was only when he released the magic that it left him, but then he told me about his dream. He said that the stag let him ride it around Hogwarts and promised him that he would always be safe; then, it went inside him and said it would be with him always."

"Yes, but that was a dream, wasn't it?" asked Remus, still in awe at the power being described by Hermione; he had always known that his cub was powerful, but this was something else.

"Yes," Hermione answered, her eyes on the door to the bathing areas as she continued, "But the way I see it, Harry must have experienced a physical manifestation of his magical essence, which only furthers our theory that his magic was bound when he was younger."

"Who's our?" asked Remus, looking to where Hermione was looking.

"Professor McGonagall and I," Hermione explained, "Which was why we made the plan she must have told you about."

"Yes," Remus nodded, "The plan will be set in motion after dinner tonight, but Minerva also suggested that Harry meet the Gryffindors, to try and see if he reconciles with any of them."

"Not Ron!" Hermione insisted, practically leaping from her seat on the bed, "If he finds out Harry's not Harry, then things could get worse than ever: sorry," she then added as Remus gave her a stunned look, his jaw slightly slackened, "It's just that I think Ron only became friends with Harry because of his whole Boy-Who-Lived status; I mean, since when does a best friend get jealous over another entering a life-or-death tournament or call said friend a liar when they say that they didn't enter in the first place?"

"They…don't," Remus answered, his eyes wide as he looked at Hermione: this _wasn't _the Hermione Granger he had taught the year before; now she was all business and ready to stand at Harry's side; in many ways, Remus couldn't help, but think of Lily and James in a situation like this.

"Exactly," Hermione exclaimed, "So why would Ron…unless all he was really after was fame and, though I hate to think it, fortune?"

"She has a point there," Minerva agreed, "The Potters are one of the wealthiest Ancient Families in the magical world and, given Harry's ties to Godric and Salazar…well; that would make him possibly the richest 14 year old in the whole school."

The sound of the door opening had Hermione lowering her voice, looking to Remus with an urgent note in her voice, "Please don't let Ron near him Moony; Ginny, I'm unsure about and the twins seem almost determined to serve him, but not Ron…please: promise me!"

"I promise to protect my Prongslet as long as he needs me," Remus answered, his eyes narrowed at the thought of the red-headed student he'd seen the year before using Harry for fame and fortune.

When Harry returned, Hermione was in awe: gone was the shy, timid little boy and in his place now stood a 5ft 9, almost lean-built fourteen year old, his eyes shining with happiness, his black hair – through some miracle – now cut short and styled to what could be described as a bed-head look with two bangs crossing his forehead like bat wings, clearly exposing his lightning bolt scar.

He was also dressed in a set of deep midnight-blue robes with the Gryffindor Crest inscribed on the chest, Madam Pomfrey walking over to Minerva while Hermione and Remus admired the new Harry.

"I charmed the crest to appear as long as we're still undecided," she explained, "He seemed to take a shine to that colour: wouldn't surprise me if he wants to be a Ravenclaw. Minerva," she then added almost shockingly, "I've treated young Harry for four years and, in all that time, I've never known him to open up to anyone, but, while we were in there, he started talking, telling me about his home life and about how Hermione was his first friend: we have to make sure he doesn't go back to the Muggles, especially since it seems his slowly rebuilding magical core has healed his eyesight and given him a sense of protection. I tried a simple mind scan and found immediate walls within his consciousness that would keep even Albus and Severus combined out."

"I see," Minerva replied, "Thank you Poppy."

When Hermione had finished giving Harry the once-over, Minerva cleared her throat as she began to speak, "Now Harry, since I don't need to make any introductions, I think it only fair to explain why Remus is here: until you feel comfortable enough with others, Remus is going to act as a mentor to you and he is going to supervise your lessons as well as give you and Hermione private tuition. If you have any troubles, you can speak to either me or him about it, okay?"

"What about the other teachers?" asked Harry, "Especially Professor Snape? He seems to want to help me, so why shouldn't I trust him?"

Remus went to argue again, but, thankfully, Hermione got there first, "I'm sure that Professor Snape would be happy to know that you trust him and I'm sure he would consider it a pleasure to help, right…Remus?"

She nodded subtly as she looked to the Marauder; thankfully, the lycan got the message as he answered, "Yes, I'm sure he would."

"Excellent," Minerva smiled, aware of how Hermione was keeping to her impression of keeping Harry in the right frame of mind: looking to her two favourite lions, she then explained, "Now, I am going to escort you both to Gryffindor Tower and then to your new living arrangements, which is known simply as the Chamber of Pride – as in a pride of lions – but, before I do that, you'll need to decide on a password: something that only you will know and others will have a time figuring out."

"Can it be anything?" asked Harry, "Like a codeword between Hermione and I so that, if we mention it away from there, we'll know to go there to talk or practice?"

"I think that's an excellent idea," Remus nodded, "But what would it be?"

"What about…" Hermione began, eyeing their surroundings, before her eyes fell upon Harry and an idea, a crazy, almost childish idea came to her, "Thunderbolt!"

"Thunderbolt?" asked Harry, before he caught her eyeing his scar, "Oh, you mean because of this? Why not: kind of catchy and, if we need to be there, it'll be kind of random to others."

"Agreed," Minerva nodded, "Now, because of the fact that the Chamber is yours, Harry, you'll need to change the password every so often; say, once every six months or every September, all right? That way, if someone does figure out your password, then you can change it in a heartbeat."

"Okay Professor," Harry nodded, "Can we go then?"

"Let's do it," Remus smiled.

Hermione, however, was watching Minerva with a near-wary expression, both of them thinking the exact same thing: 'Moment of truth.'

_**WhoAmI?**_

Reaching the portrait hole, Hermione spoke the password to Gryffindor Tower and stepped aside, allowing Harry to enter first: however, as soon as the first Gryffindor caught sight of Harry, there was a raucous cheer and cries of celebration at the triumphant return of their champion and friend. Before anybody could say anything, however, Harry had quickly retreated to Hermione's side, the Head of House taking charge.

"Right, thank you everybody: now, as you can see, our young Mr Potter is quite well, but still suffers from shocks as a result of the first task; it is for this reason that both he and Miss Granger are moving out of the Gryffindor Dormitory and into a private chamber for the remainder of the year."

A collective groan filled the room, while, unknown to everyone else, Hermione was explaining to Harry just why they were cheering and that, with the odd exception, they were all very happy to see him, so there was no reason to be scared as nobody would consider him a threat, a freak or an enemy any longer.

That is, until a familiar voice called over the cries and groans, the owner of the voice being directed towards Harry, "So the Fourth Champion has a little accident and now he's being given the star treatment: just another reason for us all to wonder if he placed the name in there himself."

With Hermione at his side, Harry was sure that no-one could upset him; looking past the Gryffindors, he saw Ron standing on the stairwell, looking like the proverbial Billy-No-Mates as he locked eyes with the young teenager, a sneer that would have made Malfoy proud now plastered on his face.

"Well," Harry remarked, trying to keep to the impression he wanted to present, which was to keep others in the dark about him losing his memories. "Since I just received a hero's welcome into the Gryffindors, I think it almost clear that you are the only one with that opinion, whoever you are."

A low whispering began to spread among the lions, accompanied by a low laugh as they believed Harry was playing the ignorance card; however, as everyone knew, Ron Weasley was about as smart and subtle as a stampeding elephant…and he ate like one too.

"Don't know why you're still playing the innocent card Harry, especially against me, your best mate," he stepped forwards, unaware that his next words were about to give him a world of trouble. "And now you enter here with our former teacher, our Head of House and Miss SPEW here who probably had to bribe you just to show your face. You and I both knew it mate: she's nothing more than a brown-haired buck-toothed know-it-all who would probably find a better friend in one of those House Elves than us. She's not even worthy to call herself a witch, let alone friends with me or you."

Ron was so busy grandstanding that he didn't notice the deathly silence that had filled the room; nor did he notice the rapidly glowing colour of Harry's emerald eyes at hearing this nobody call his Mione all those names. While he couldn't recall anything tied to House Elves or SPEW, he knew a real insult when he heard one and, hearing that his Hermione would have to bribe someone to be a friend was the final straw.

Meanwhile, up on the stairwell, Neville, Dean and Seamus had been one of the first few to notice the pre-eruption of what they used to call Hurricane Harry: as they had discovered, there were two stages to Harry's anger: when he was annoyed with someone, Harry would yell and scream until he eventually knew the limit and went somewhere to cool off: that was like a Force 3 tornado; however, with the second stage, it was a Force 12 earthquake and it all began with Harry standing tense and straight, just like he was there, his hands at his side, his lips pursed and almost bloodless, his eyes screaming murder before, with but one more word, the snake would strike and the lion would rip a whole new world of trouble into its victim.

What they saw there, however, with Harry's eyes glowing and even a slow wind blowing through the Common Room, as well as the horrified expressions on the faces of their fellow Gryffindors told the boys one thing: Armageddon was about to come to town and it's first target was Ronald Weasley.

Said wizard, on the other hand, clearly didn't see it as he asked, "What's wrong Harry? Think that you can take the worst of it from your pathetic mudblood sidekick; maybe I should show her the real me and then she'd leave a weak, scarred freak of a boy like you."

'Freak?' thought Hermione, 'Boy? Oh no.'

"Ron," she urged him, "Shut up; please, if you value any part of your body, you'll shut up now."

"Why?" asked Ron mockingly, "What Fraud Potter going to do? Go crying to Mommy and Daddy? He doesn't have one: is he going to use magic? I don't see a wand, so why don't you just…"

He went to strike Hermione, but everyone was scared stiff as Harry's reactions got there first; no sooner had Ron's hand passed his head than Harry's arm struck like a King Cobra, grasping the thick-headed git's hand in a vice-grip so tight that it felt like a Boa Constrictor wrapping around Ron's hand.

Then, however, everyone's fears were heightened as Harry spoke, his tone anything but the calm, friendly Harry that they knew and loved, "Nobody insults Hermione when I am in the room and nobody calls me a freak and gets away with it."

"What are you going to do?" gasped Ron, "Squeeze my arm? You don't have the strength you big freak; you're nothing but an…AHHHH!"

He didn't get to finish his words as an audible crack echoed through the room, followed by a smell of burning: looking to the poor, unlucky asshole known as Ron, the other Gryffs could only watch as a deep, crusted rash began to spread down his arm, the sleeve of his robe being incinerated, revealing even more charred flesh; at the same time, Ron fell to his knees, his eyes watering and screams of terror leaving his lips.

"LET GO YOU MONSTER!" He cried desperately, "I'LL HAVE YOU IN AZKABAN FOR THIS!"

"Say sorry," Harry snarled, his words tinged by some dark force that was making the lamps in the Tower flicker and come close to die, the emerald glow in his eyes making him look near inhuman. "Say sorry to Hermione…_now!_"

"SORRY!" Screamed Ron, "I'M SORRY, OKAY; NOW LET ME GO!"

"Harry," Hermione whispered, placing her hand on his arm, the other lions stunned as they saw Hermione wasn't being harmed, "It's okay Harry; let him go: he's not worth it. As long as I have you, then I'll always be happy; come on, don't waste your rage on him."

Harry's grip released Ron as quickly as it had grabbed him; looking around the room, Harry spoke with a mature, but almost protective voice, "What you all witnessed was the new me: I won't allow anyone to harm or upset my Hermione; she, at the moment, is my only real friend and, if you wish to join those ranks, then you'll do the right thing and stand with me. Until then, know this: the only freaks around here are those who call others freak: facing up to your true selves is more than bullies like this red-headed ass can handle, so they hide in the shadows: well, no longer: any who bully Hermione will be brought into their worst nightmares and, if I'm feeling generous, they'll emerge in one piece; remember that and goodbye."

As Harry left the Tower with Hermione and the two adults in tow, Neville, Dean and Seamus could only agree on one thing: if that was what someone who insulted Hermione went through, imagine what Harry would do to someone who hurt her, Merlin forbid if they succeeded.

In one day, the House of the Courageous had a real fear within their walls and its name was Harry James Potter and his protective temper.

_**WhoAmI?**_

The Chamber of Pride was located behind a portrait of a lion's pride on the savannah, a rolling heat and rainfall filling the picture; when Harry and Hermione stood outside the entrance, Hermione turned and looked to their mentors, "Professor, Remus, perhaps you had better leave us to talk for now: we'll discuss the learning methods later tonight, if that's okay?"

"Of course," Remus answered, a part of him glad that he had just come _off_ a transformation: Merlin forbid if Harry hadn't reacted and Remus was set to change _that night_.

Minerva, seeing Harry shaking, his body still as tense and coiled as a snake, placed a calm hand on his shoulder as she addressed him, "Harry, I want you to know that you and Hermione were very grown-up to ignore the comments of Mr Weasley as far as you did: while I, myself find that I am intimidated by what happened, I want you to know that you will not receive any punishments except this one: the two of you are grounded to the Chamber from after dinner tonight until Saturday morning, do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am," Harry replied, his voice trembling with sadness: Hermione had a feeling that her hands were about to come in very handy once again. Looking to her friend, she indicated the portrait, before Harry smiled and gasped out, "Thunderbolt!"

The lions in the image roared with respective intentions, before they seemed to part and, as Harry and Hermione stared, the portrait itself parted, the two weather conditions now split, revealing a long passageway. Climbing through the hole, Hermione followed Harry into what could only be described as a common room-like environment.

There was a gorgeous 3-piece leather suite decorated in cloths and cushions bearing the crest of Gryffindor, a large open fireplace and ornate Venetian table set in front of the 3-piece suite. A stairwell led upwards and away from the living room towards a Master Bedroom where Harry immediately noticed a king-size bed with the same Crest and, as if the room was enchanted, a whole pattern of thunderbolts around the room and the crest upon the bedding. An armoire and private bathroom led off the bedroom as well as a walk-in wardrobe and a balcony that opened out onto a stunning view of the Great Lake and the Forbidden Forest.

Back downstairs, Hermione found two other doors; one that led into a library filled with books and tomes that they would require for learning as well as several that were not on the syllabus, including a book on Advanced Duelling and Defensive Spells that was written by Godric Gryffindor himself. The second door led into an open chamber that was set as a kitchen and dining area, as well as an adjoining set of French Doors that led out onto a lower balcony and across into the library.

All in all, it was perfect and, as she watched Harry still examine the common room, Hermione knew that this place was the perfect home for Harry to readjust to his life. The Common Room also bore a notice-board, which had been provided by Minerva and was charmed to recognise anyone outside the entrance as well as receive messages from the Head of Gryffindor.

"Do you like it?" she asked, watching as Harry sat down on the sofa, his eyes staring into the fireplace.

"I…I love it," Harry replied, "But Mione, why did Professor McGonagall say this was mine?"

"Ah," Hermione answered, "Well that's because of who you are Harry," she moved over to the sofa and sat next to him: as she had expected, Hermione found Harry soon lying in her lap, her hand brushing through his hair as she began speaking. "In the wizarding world, certain witches and wizards are tied to families: like yours: the Noble and Ancient House of Potter. Well, above those, there are Heirs of the four Founders of Hogwarts: Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Godric Gryffindor and you, Harry, are the Heir of Godric Gryffindor, most likely through your family. So, this chamber, the Chamber of Pride, is – by right of heritage – yours."

'As is the Sword,' thought Hermione, looking down to the relaxing teenager in her lap, 'But he doesn't remember using it, so how is he supposed to claim it?'

"Hermione?"

Harry's voice pulled Hermione from her thoughts: no more was he the demon that had been standing in Gryffindor Tower; now he was the little human that had been in the Hospital Wing.

"Yes Harry?"

"Who was that boy anyway?" Harry asked, "And what did he mean by you bribing me?"

"His name is Ronald Weasley," Hermione answered, calmly continuing her massage of Harry's hair, careful not to disrupt the style as she guessed he liked it like that. "And he's nothing more than a jealous, attention-seeking prat who would rather have food and fortune than smarts and sensibility: he said that because he wasn't the one helping you: truth is Harry, he's been jealous of all the attention you gain for some time now."

"Why do I?" asked Harry, making Hermione freeze: she had actually said that last part without thinking it and now she had to answer him.

"Well," she answered, "Some time ago there was this…wizard who many people believed to be a bad guy, simply because he dealt with things a little differently. Now, this wizard actually came to your house some time ago and is the reason that you were left with the Muggles. You see Harry, he…tried to convince your parents to side with him and, when they said no, he saw them as targets; however, he also saw you as a potential ally or enemy because you're so strong. So, rather than finish the job, he marks you with your scar and, in the resulting backlash, is destroyed himself."

She could feel Harry shaking with fear at the thought of his parents being dealt with; however, Hermione had always felt that Harry had been right about a certain point in magical debate. Now, she was going to use that point to help him fulfil his life as he wished it; continuing to stroke his hair, she explained, "Harry, understand that, before they died, your parents were manipulated into being what many people called _Light_ wizards while this wizard, who was named…Voldemort…was what they called _Dark_. Now, you may not remember it, but, some time ago, you heard something and told it to me and I believe that, if you live by this code, you'll be able to choose your own destiny."

"What code Mione?" asked Harry, slightly afraid at the thought of his parents being killed simply for being Light wizards.

"I think it went something like this," Hermione answered him, before she cleared her throat and explained, "There is no good or evil; there is only power and those too weak to seek it: that is a code I think we should live by. You see…Voldemort only wanted witches and wizards who were unique and, when your parents were manipulated into joining the Light, he saw no hope for them, but there was hope for you. Sadly, in your life, you drifted away from him and abandoned him: since you're still young, you still have the chance to prove yourself as a true power in the world and I Harry, I will stand at your side no matter what you decide."

"Do you promise?"

"Yes," Hermione answered, a soft smile on her face as she linked hands with him, "I promise: and I'll never lie to you Harry."

'Not to you,' she added in thought, aware that half the things she had said were lies, but, the more she thought on it, the more she could only agree that it wasn't a lie: after all, Pettigrew had been convinced to become the Secret Keeper for the Potters, but who had originally known the address before even Sirius had known it? Who had been the one to bind Harry's magic and keep him weakened only so he could die at the right moment? Who made sure that this innocent child was left to suffer in hell before his proverbial White Knight appeared to whisk him away to a castle where said boy discovered some rather unique powers?

Albus Dumbledore!

No, Hermione would never again lie to Harry: if he wanted her at his side then, hell itself be damned, by Morgana, she was going to stand there, ensuring that all the while, Harry remained true to that belief:

There was no good or evil; there was only power and those too weak to seek it!

_**WhoAmI?**_

Severus Snape was a man on a mission:

When he had sworn to Lily that he would watch over Harry, he hadn't expected to be drawn into the web of lies, deceit and manipulations spun by one Albus Dumbledore. When that event had occurred, Severus knew he had been trapped, but now, with the revelations brought on by young Harry and the young Miss Granger, Severus knew where his loyalties laid:

With Harry James Potter…and, as he began packing a few things that would help with interrogations and gathering evidence, Severus knew only one key point he was going to make.

That nobody upset, harmed or Merlin forbid, abused Harry James Potter and survived so easily: Severus Snape would see to that and then, if all went according to plan, he would help Harry in any and all ways possible.

One way or another, Harry would NOT fulfil the prophecy or fight the Dark Lord: Severus would make sure that didn't happen…even if meant the impossible:

Harry _joining_ the Dark Lord's forces…

_**WhoAmI?**_

When Harry and Hermione entered the Great Hall that evening, they were escorted by Remus and Minerva, the mere sight of Harry suddenly making the whole hall go silent, most of the younger Gryffindors shivering with fear and angst as they recalled the show of magic from earlier. Keeping his head high and his thoughts only on his first night in a new room and new home, Harry walked over to the Gryffindors, where a minute had barely passed before a familiar voice called out to them, "Harry, Hermione: I want to apologise."

Standing firm, Harry watched as Ron walked over to them, albeit after jamming another mouthful of food into his black hole of a mouth; stopping before them, Harry watched as Ron held out his hand, his right hand heavily bandaged after the burns and breaks from earlier.

"Why should I accept your apology?" asked Harry, "You who sought to turn Gryffindor against me as well as throwing yourself on the _Harry is a cheat_ bandwagon."

"Well," Ron laughed, "I had time to think about it and, as strange as it seems, I was just wanting to congratulate you: Hermione is a nice girl and, well, I was wondering if you could help me find a practice girlfriend, albeit someone a little less…well, less like Hermione: especially in the looks department."

From his immediate left, Harry heard a round-faced boy mumble, "He never learns does he?"

"Not really Neville," Hermione answered, already taking refuge as she saw the immediate danger.

Harry, however, had already stood stock still, his hands now fists, his eyes closed as he rotated his neck and asked, "Would you like to say that again Mr Weasel? I didn't quite hear you."

"Oh," Ron replied, his denseness showing, "Okay; I was wondering if you could find me a practice girlfriend like Hermione, but less ugly."

"Sure," Harry replied, before he stepped past Ron and added, "Let me show you where to find her."

He then rounded on Ron, his fist colliding with the boy's teeth, a fountain of blood flying from the idiot's face as Harry then pushed all his magic into his rage, his wallop of an impact sending Ronald Weasley flying through the window of the Great Hall, which, unfortunately, was closed, meaning that the prat was flying through a wall of coloured glass and out into the evening sky.

A loud scream echoed from all around Harry as he turned and addressed the entire hall, "Don't worry: he's not dead…not yet anyway, but I told the Gryffindors and now I'll tell all of you: _nobody_ insults Hermione in my presence, get the message or learn to fly!"

He didn't even wait for the teachers to respond; Harry just walked right out of the Great Hall and up towards the seventh floor, Hermione hot on his heels: when they reached the Chamber, Harry snapped, "Thunderbolt!"

The portrait opened, Hermione called out his name and, the next thing Harry knew, he was under attack from something large, black and wet, the anger being drowned by laughter as he begged, "Get off: move it; Hermione, help me!"

Running up to him, Hermione grabbed Harry's attacker by the scruff of the neck, allowing the young wizard to get a good look at his attacker: the first thing he noticed was that it was a dog: a large, shaggy black-furred dog with dark brown eyes and a loving, friendly appearance. When she saw Harry was okay, Hermione released the hound and watched as it padded over to Harry, snuffling at his hand, before allowing Harry to stroke the great beast gently and lovingly.

"Harry," Hermione smiled, "Say hello to Snuffles: our new guard dog and your new pet."

Hearing the name, the dog looked at Hermione with eyes of curiosity and a sense of embarrassment: seeing the look, Hermione shrugged ruefully and, while Harry was busy stroking the canine's fur, she mouthed two words:

_Sorry Sirius_…

_**Chapter 4 and I just can't leave this story for long; it's so good and always so inspirational: by the way, I would like to dedicate Harry's emotional descriptions – the calm before his anger – to MariusDarkwolf, who writes something similar in his story: Harry Potter and the Eyes of the Serpent! It just seemed right; by the way, I hope you all enjoyed the punishments on one Ronald 'Dead-man' Weasley!**_

_**Now though, with the whole school on alert, can Harry and Hermione prepare themselves for the next trial?**_

_**Also, can Sirius/Snuffles keep his identity a secret from his pup and protect him from a certain old git?**_

_**Keep Reading to Find Out…**_

_**Next Chapter: Minerva has news for Harry and Hermione concerning Christmas, which gives Harry a chance to ask a certain question to Hermione; plus, it seems that Harry's mood has had an effect on all of Hogwarts, especially a suddenly frightened ferret; also, Harry and Hermione visit Gringotts and Diagon Alley to gain Harry's new wand and find out more about his heritage…**_

_**Please Read and Review…**_


	6. 5: Gringotts, Grounded and Grim 'oh my'

Who Am I? A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Ginny

Draco/Astoria

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

_**Review Answers:**_

_**Mwinter1: Hermione's little lie will come back to bite her when Ron decides he wants a rematch, but soon Harry will make his choice;**_

_**MariusDarkwolf: Thanks, I appreciate the compliment: I actually know what it's like to be driven to that level, so I used that imagery; also, yes, Hermione has started Harry down the **_**Dark**_** path, but the main part of his descent doesn't come about until OOTP;**_

_**Slytherin66: I was planning on using a kind of back-story for TR when he and Harry met; thanks for reminding me about it;**_

_**Lectorsum: No; wand: sorry;**_

_**Voldemort is Dead: Molly trying to get even with Harry? Not with the revelations made in this chap about the other Weasleys, but, just for fun, I might let her TRY;**_

"_Harry," Hermione smiled, "Say hello to Snuffles: our new guard dog and your new pet."_

_Hearing the name, the dog looked at Hermione with eyes of curiosity and a sense of embarrassment: seeing the look, Hermione shrugged ruefully and, while Harry was busy stroking the canine's fur, she mouthed two words:_

_Sorry Sirius…_

Chapter 5: Gringotts, Grounded and Grim (oh my)

As it turned out, Hermione didn't really have anything to be sorry for: as Snuffles, Sirius Black had the opportunity he'd dreamt about since meeting Harry officially in the previous summer: to be there to guard and protect his pup from the evils of the world, particularly when those evils were more vindictive than they appeared. When Remus and Minerva had contacted him, Sirius had been a bit worried about being discovered at first; however, when Remus explained the situation as well as what had happened to Harry, the Grim Animagus reared its head and Sirius became Padfoot faster than they could blink. If anyone was trying to keep his pup in the dark, then Sirius would have moved heaven and earth to help, but to add to the fact that Remus, Minerva and Hermione all believed Harry's magic to have been bound at a young age and Sirius knew that he would need to be at his pup's side, even though Harry wouldn't know his form…well, not unless he remembered seeing Padfoot as a baby, which, judging by the laughter-induced worry he'd heard from Harry when he'd seen the dog, was a very small chance.

Now, sat like a regular dog at his master's heels, Harry sat in one of the chairs in the Pride Common Room, Sirius could only wonder one thing: what had possessed Hermione to give him such a baby-like name?

Whatever it was, Sirius knew that Harry liked him and, as the occasional pats and strokes down his back and neck indicated, the young wizard had become rather fond of _Snuffles_ in an instant.

'For Harry,' Sirius thought, 'I'll bear any kind of torture…even a silly name.'

His ears then pricked up as Hermione was speaking to Harry, "I daresay you made an impact in the Great Hall tonight Harry."

"He said you were ugly," Harry replied calmly, his hand running over Snuffles' neckline as if to reassure himself that he was safe, "And he said you were a practice girlfriend: I thought he'd got the message once before, but now…if I see him again I'll…"

Flames ignited in the grate of the Common Room; thinking quickly, Snuffles began to lick Harry's hand, placing his paw on his master's lap; looking down at the shaggy beast, Harry smiled as he nodded, "You're right boy; I shouldn't let that Weasel bother me…" he then cocked his head to one side and Hermione, recognising the look from the Hospital Wing, knew that something was bothering her young friend; before she could ask what that was, Harry spoke again, "It's strange boy, but I think that I know you from somewhere…ahh," he grabbed his head and put it in his hands as he groaned, "I…I can't remember: why would I know so much about my life, but not recognise a dog?"

"Don't force yourself," Hermione advised him, "If you do recognise Snuffles, then that's probably because you saw him when you were living with your relatives…or maybe you saw a dog just like him."

'His relatives?' thought Sirius, growling to the point that Harry's headache was eased by strokes along the dog's furry body, 'Damn him! Even as this mutt, my pup knows how to touch my heart, but why would he be sent there?'

As if she had read his mind, Hermione quickly asked, "Harry, would you mind if I took Snuffles into the kitchen? Poor boy hasn't eaten all day and, while I'm doing that, why don't you go and find a book to read so that we can start practicing for the tournament?"

"Okay Mione," Harry replied, lifting himself up as he walked into one of the adjoining doors, disappearing into the Pride Annexe while Hermione, looking at Snuffles, patted her lap and pointed to the kitchen.

"Come on you," she said, trying to act like he was just another dog. Once she was sure Harry was out of earshot, Hermione hissed at the dog, "Sirius…kitchen…now!"

Following her, Snuffles/Sirius could only wonder what was about to be said; he didn't have to wait long as Hermione, with a single flick of her wand, locked the adjoining door to the library and then walked out onto the lower balcony, Sirius shifting into human form as he walked out behind her, his former Azkaban-inflicted appearance a lot smarter and cleaner – which was at the request of Remus and Minerva when they'd met with the Marauder – his once shaggy hair now brushed back and his beard trimmed.

"Are you a few cards shy of a full deck?" asked Hermione, her voice low, but still full of anger, "What possessed you to growl like that?"

"Me?" asked Sirius, laughing at her outburst, "What possessed you to call me Snuffles? Even if you'd called me Padfoot, he wouldn't have…"

"Sirius Black," Hermione sighed, "Use that brain of yours for one moment, would you? As the Grim that you are, you'll be going everywhere with Harry: what will people think if they hear him calling you Padfoot? I'm worried enough about what Ron might say if he recognises you, let alone what Harry will say if his memory of you from a long time ago come back. I used Snuffles because of how you like to sniff around and how you nuzzled his hand: it's obvious he trusts you and that's enough for me."

"You're right," agreed Sirius, "Sorry Hermione, but what are we going to do about Mr Weasley? He'll out me to the whole school and then, before you can say Mischief Managed, I'll be back in Azkaban."

"We could always dye your fur."

"Be serious."

"I thought that was your job."

Sirius rolled his eyes as he asked, "What could dye do for me? It'll wash out, remember?"

"What about a Colour-Changing Charm?" suggested Hermione, "We could make you look like a Retriever or an Alsatian."

"As long as it's not a Dalmatian," Sirius insisted, shivering slightly, "All those spots…ugh."

"Deal, but what do I tell Harry?"

"How about," Sirius suggested, "You explain about how some people will compare me to an omen of death then suggest that, to reduce people's opinions and avoid more trouble, you're going to have Minerva and Remus cast a charm on me that will change my fur to a different colour. Also tell him that he should choose the colour and, no matter what he says, I'll do it; however, back to your original question: I'm sorry," he lowered his eyes, ashamed and guilt-ridden. "It's just that he wasn't meant to go to his relatives: it was one rule, borderline a law that Lily and James agreed on; Hermione, it's bad enough that he can't remember me and that his memories were altered and his magic bound, but to be placed in that hell-hole? It only makes me that much more determined to stand true to my word and stay by his side: however, what do we do if he does remember me?"

"Let him see you," Hermione advised him, "This Saturday, Harry, Professor McGonagall, Remus and I are all going to Diagon Alley to get Harry a new wand; while there, I'm going to take him to Gringotts and see if there's a way for him to claim his heritage and know the truth about his magic. Once that's done, I _might_ let slip about a friend of his Father's who needs his help. Officially, as Lord Potter and Lord Gryffindor, he could grant you sanctuary under Hogwarts and there wouldn't be anything that anyone could do about it. He could also demand a trial for you and see that it is done in his presence, to avoid any circumstance or foul play, especially from a certain long-haired goat."

"Both good ideas," Sirius agreed, "But Hermione, what if I reveal myself and he sees me as someone who abandoned him to go after Wormtail? As you well know, I will die for that boy, but to lose him because he thinks I abandoned him will kill me enough."

"Hermione?"

Harry's voice had Sirius quickly shifting into Snuffles, Hermione calling back to him, "Yeah?"

"The board says Professor McGonagall and the headmaster are outside; shall I let them in?"

"Wait until I come out there and remember Harry; no matter what happens, I'll be there to help you."

"Kay."

When she heard him moving away from the door, Hermione looked down at Snuffles and whispered, "We'll discuss that point later; for now, your _master_ needs you Snuffles."

The dog seemed to sneeze before Hermione quickly whipped up some dinner for the mutt, which consisted of diced meat and a bowl of water, before she walked out of the kitchen, seeing Harry waiting there patiently, a part of Hermione worried as to the purpose of the manipulative old man's presence here.

Standing next to Harry, Hermione made sure that Snuffles would be able to hear their conversation, before she nodded to Harry and explained, "You have to say they can enter."

"O…okay," Harry replied, before he declared, "I allow them to enter the chamber."

The portrait parted and Harry watched as Professor McGonagall walked in, her face showing as much worry as Hermione; next to her, Professor Dumbledore smiled at Harry, those blue eyes of his twinkling, his sea-blue robes almost shining in the light of the chamber. Standing tall, Hermione asked, "Professors, what brings you here this late?"

"Miss Granger," Dumbledore answered, his grandfatherly voice speaking to the young girl, "Would you mind leaving young Harry and I alone with Professor McGonagall? The matter I have to discuss with him is private and for his ears only."

"No!" Harry squeaked, suddenly moving closer to Hermione, feeling her hand in his as he looked at the headmaster. "I d-don't want Mione to leave me."

"Don't worry," Minerva replied, having already guessed he would try and use that method, "She's not going anywhere: we are simply here to inform you of the condition of Mr Weasley."

"I don't care about him," Harry growled, his eyes flickering dangerously as his magic began to spike once more, "He insulted my best friend and told me that we were freaks: nobody insults my Hermione and walks away as if it was nothing."

"But Harry," Dumbledore smiled, "Surely such an act of magical outburst would mean that you had not reconciled your relationship with Mr Weasley? And to injure him not once, but twice: are you not worried that such an act of violence would drive you to the dark arts?"

"No," Harry answered firmly, "There is no good or evil, headmaster; there is only power and those too weak to seek it: Weasley thought himself stronger just because I suffered an accident. He thought he could turn all of Gryffindor on me because I chose to leave the dorm; I made sure that he learned his lesson and, while I will accept any punishment given to me, I will never allow anybody to harm or insult my friends."

Dumbledore and Minerva were both stunned: Harry had just given them a case of defensive logic that no fourteen year old could muster; at the same time, Albus had been trying to read Harry's thoughts and discover the reason for his abandonment of the young Mr Weasley, but all he found was an iron-hard wall and a sense of magic far stronger than the previous times he had moulded the boy to his will.

'It can't be,' thought Dumbledore, 'How did Harry recover from all the blocks I had placed upon his magic? He should be weak and willing to forgive the Weasley boy for his exile during the First Task: he should be fretting about the next task before I have Alastor helping him with the Gillyweed. But this is not the same Harry; it's not even the same level of magic: I need to do something and soon or he will grow too strong and I will be unable to ensnare him into my plans.'

"Harry," he spoke with the air of an advisor, trying to remain on even terms with the boy. "I am aware that friends argue, but the important thing is to forgive and forget; Mr Weasley and his kin can help you with the Tournament, as can the staff and I; why, as Head of the host school, I find it almost my duty to assist my champion."

"No," Harry answered again, his eyes now shining with emerald energy, "I have all the help I need and don't need you headmaster."

"Oh but you do," Dumbledore insisted, "You see Harry, it is the duty of the headmasters to provide what help they can to their champions and, for the sake of Hogwarts' honour, I think it only right that you and I work closely together."

"I don't think you heard me sir," Harry replied, his magic now spiking again as his eyes filled with the emerald glow, "I don't want, need or require your help; not when I have the help of Professor McGonagall and Mr Lupin. If you must help your champion, I suggest that you help the real Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory."

Hermione smiled, her hand now clenched in Harry's as she thought about how lucky it was that she had been telling Harry about the tournament and the names of the four champions; this way, he could hide his lost memories and still act as the fourth champion without drawing any suspicions to himself.

Dumbledore seemed enraged; McGonagall was proud of her lion's champion; Hermione could only feel closer to Harry while, hidden by the door to the kitchen, one Sirius Black was human again, a wand in his hand as he prepared to use magic to defend Harry from Albus Dumbledore's web of lies and deceit; however, as Sirius listened, he could only find that he was impressed with his pup and, for the first time since he left home, Sirius found that, when the time came for Harry to be re-sorted, if he were to become a Slytherin, Sirius wouldn't even care.

That change in attitude then gave the Black Lord an idea; shifting into Snuffles, he waited patiently, deciding to use the cover of night to execute his plan.

Harry, meanwhile, was staring daggers with the headmaster as he asked, "Now sir, what _is_ my punishment for harming Weasel?"

"I cannot say," Dumbledore answered, his calm demeanour slowly fading as he explained, "Professor McGonagall, as Head of Gryffindor House, has the final word and I believe she has confined you and Miss Granger to this Chamber until Saturday."

"That's right," Minerva agreed, "And now I add an additional punishment for you two: you are forbidden from attending Hogsmeade weekends until after the Christmas Holidays."

"I understand," Harry sighed, grateful that, when she had told him about the four Houses – as he had discovered their real name to be – she had also told him about the magical village near to Hogwarts and how fourth-years like them were given permission to be there on weekends.

Hermione, meanwhile, sensed that there was another intention to McGonagall's little suspension and, even though she knew better than to question the decision of a teacher, Hermione wondered why Harry was so calm about this. Had it been anyone else, she was sure that they would be screaming bloody murder about not being allowed out of school.

Dumbledore, seeing that the conversations were done, gave a polite nod to the students and then left the chamber, still fuming as to the impregnable defences around Harry's mind as well as the fact that, with one conversation, his closest puppet and greatest weapon had been taken from him by the words of a mere boy. Albus only hoped that, when the next task came and Harry was forced to rescue that which meant most to him, the foolish boy would see that he needed Dumbledore's help more than he could ever believe.

Back in the Common Room, Hermione held Harry as the young boy nearly sagged in her arms, the use of so much magic in one day taking its toll on his energy reserves. Looking to McGonagall, she asked, "Why did you let him come here Professor? It was obvious that he was going to try and get to Harry through what had happened."

"That is true," Minerva agreed, "But remember Miss Granger that, as low on trust as we have for that man at the moment, he _is_ the headmaster and my superior; besides, I am here to inform you both of a tradition in the tournament and the reason that I had you both suspended from Hogsmeade."

"I knew there was a reason," Hermione grinned.

"What's the tradition Professor?" asked Harry, standing tall once more as he looked to Minerva.

"The Yule Ball is approaching - a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open only to fourth years and above - although you may invite a younger student if you wish; Dress robes will be worn and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now, I tell you both this because, as one of the four champions, you will be required to open the ball with the dance and, to do that, you will need a partner…or even a date and, the reason I banned you from Hogsmeade weekends is because, between now and Christmas Day, which is a Friday, I will be hosting dance classes and have asked Remus to assist me in these lessons. You and Hermione will be receiving private lessons on the weekends and I expect to see you both there looking like the best that you can, understand?"

"Yes ma'am," Harry replied, before Hermione asked McGonagall the next question.

"Where will Harry and I get dress robes from?" She then noticed that Harry looked nervous; she didn't need to guess who he was going to ask and she was ready and willing to give her answer.

"Diagon Alley, of course," Minerva explained, "This Saturday, we all go and, while there, I will take Hermione for hers while Remus will help you with yours Harry. Now, I don't want you to worry as I already know myself who you both shall be attending with and I promise you Harry that she will be given only the finest."

Harry smiled, before he decided that, in the presence of Professor McGonagall, he was going to get it out of the way; taking Hermione's hand in his own, he asked, "Hermione Granger, will you allow me the pleasure of being your date and partner for the Yule Ball at Christmas?"

Hermione threw her arms around Harry, before she answered him, "Yes Harry…of course I will: thank you."

Minerva could only smile at her two lions, a part of her making a mental bet as to when Harry would ask Hermione to take their friendship to the next level: either way, if he didn't do it before or at the Yule Ball, then she would offer Severus Snape a dance and ensure he was next year's Defence Teacher.

"Now," Minerva continued, "Remember, you're not allowed to leave here at all tomorrow; so, until Saturday, I will see you later."

The two lions bade their Head of House farewell, before Harry looked at Hermione as he asked, "This is a good thing for us, yes?"

"Yes," she answered, "And don't worry Harry: I'd be honoured to help you learn all you need to for the ball and the dances, but promise me something?"

"Name it Mione."

"Surprise me with your dress robes, all right? Don't tell me what you're wearing until the night and I'll do the same, okay?"

"Deal," smiled Harry, a part of him buzzing at the thought of dancing in the arms of the Gryffindor princess before him: well, he reasoned, if she was the princess, then Harry would do his best to become her Prince Charming.

It wasn't until they went to bed that night, Hermione gently soothing Harry to sleep with her regular strokes through his hair, Harry with his arm around the sleeping form of Snuffles that the young teen actually realised that something else had happened when Hermione had hugged him.

He had felt his heart stop before his body heat had gone all haywire and, as he had held her, Harry had wanted to just keep her this close forever;

'Merlin's beard,' he thought, using a term he had heard around the school, 'I think I'm in love, but what if she says no? Better wait and see for now…'

With that thought, Harry smiled and closed his eyes, his dreams filled once more with him riding around Hogwarts, but this time, his princess was behind him, her arms around his waist, a dream-world soundtrack playing _Brown Eyed Girl_ by Van Morrison.

_**WhoAmI?**_

While Harry and Hermione spent the day together, studying, talking about many different things concerning both the tournament and more about Hogwarts and magic, the atmosphere around Hogwarts was a much different set-up:

_Slytherin Common Room_

Draco Malfoy was sat in his favourite chair, the other Slytherins either studying or out socialising and down by the lake, but the young Malfoy only felt one emotion: fear.

The fear of someone he had once considered an enemy, but, with a single act, all that hatred and rivalry had vanished: at first, when Draco had seen Potter and Granger walking arm-in-arm, he had wanted to make some kind of unkind remark, which undoubtedly would have involved the M-word; then Malfoy had watched as Ron Weasley went sailing through the closed window of the Great Hall, before Potter had spoken with a tone that Malfoy had only heard from his Father or godfather: apathetic and emotionless.

Then he had declared his warning to the whole hall and, amidst the shock he had felt from Potter's magic, Draco had wondered what could have happened to change the young teen so quickly. The First Task had only been 3 days ago and, apart from some crazy flying and an injury to his body that would have killed anybody else, Potter had walked away unscathed.

Looking into the fireplace of the Common Room, Draco made a single decision: if Weasley was now on Potter's blacklist and Granger was now under his personal protection, Draco would try again to gain the alliance of the Boy-Who-Lived, but this time, he would think less about the influence and the knowledge of being friends with the vanquisher of the Dark Lord; this time, it would be genuine friendship.

Though he didn't know it, Harry Potter had just acquired the alliance of Slytherin…

_Ravenclaw Common Room_

Known for being bearers and keepers of loyalty and knowledge, the Ravens were no less intimidated by Potter's magic than a regular wizard would be at the mention of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Seeing such power from the Fourth Champion had vanquished any thoughts about the boy being a liar and, after calling an instant retraction on all the badges, the Ravens had all agreed on one thing.

Harry James Potter was someone you didn't want to cross and, though most Raven females had dreamed of him on their arm, they knew that his dance card would be permanently filled by Hermione Granger.

Unbeknownst to all of them, the least popular of the Ravens was making a plan: if it went as she hoped, Harry would have the assistance and protections of the Raven's Nest to watch over his Gryffindor princess.

But the first thing this Raven, one Luna Lovegood, needed to do was introduce herself to Harry and Hermione:

Thankfully, she knew a certain Lion who would be willing to help her and, in return, she would hopefully have a date for the Yule Ball and, if not, she would still have a friend.

_Hufflepuff Common Room_

Cedric Diggory had never actually thanked Harry for his help on the First Task; however, when he had thought of approaching, he had been stopped at the sight of a pissed-off Potter protecting what the whole school seemed to wager was rightfully his. Cedric knew that there were certain Puffs who still hated Harry for the whole Chamber of Secrets ordeal from two years beforehand. However, there were also those who were willing to stand with Harry and Hermione to help protect them from those who would use their love and relationship for their own gains.

One such Hufflepuff was fourth-year Susan Bones, the dark-haired girl wondering what could have happened to Harry Potter to turn him into such a demon, his magic obviously stronger than she had ever known. Though she had never introduced herself to him, Susan knew that she wouldn't need to act too suspiciously: all she would need to do was send a letter to her aunt to find out what could have happened and then, using those family ties, Susan would find ways to help Harry, both personally and in the tournament.

If anyone knew what to do in times like this, it was her Aunt Amelia, but, at the moment, Susan had another matter on her mind:

Finding a date for the Yule Ball…

_Gryffindor Common Room_

Fred, George and Ginny Weasley were still in awe as to the clear stupidity of their younger/older brother; first insulting Harry _and_ Hermione in the Gryffindor Common Room and then going to harm Hermione with Harry in his way. Then daring to call her a practice girlfriend and thinking that, just because Harry was a bit different meant he could reign supreme over the Fourth Champion.

It was clear to Fred and George that Ron had never truly meant to befriend Harry: Ginny, meanwhile, smelled a rat in their friendship while she knew that she, Fred and George were always Harry's true friends: even before he had saved her life, she had always developed a crush on the Boy-Who-Lived, but that had stopped when she had seen the relationship between Harry and Hermione. Those fears had also been grounded when Harry had saved Ginny from Tom: she had known then that Harry would never be hers; after all, he had only done something _after_ Hermione had been petrified and, when she had recovered, she had hugged Harry like she was afraid he would disappear.

There was no chance anyone else getting in the way of that relationship; looking to her brothers, Ginny saw Fred and George giving her a look that said they were thinking the same as her.

If it was the last thing they did, they would make sure that Harry went from a Gryffindor Nobody to the Alpha Male of the Pride: the twins had always known Harry had ties to the Marauders; this, in their minds, made them his servants and they would obey him; Ginny, on the other hand, was happy being a friend and confidant.

Soon, all three decided, they would make sure that the Pride protected their King and Queen from others like Ronald _Dead-Man-Walking_ Weasley…

_Potions Lab_

Severus Snape had known from the moment Poppy revealed her scans that Harry would be powerful, but, when Minerva and Lupin…no, Remus told him about the events in the Common Room, Severus' mind was made up: Harry wasn't just powerful, he was a raging volcano that needed to be calmed or, at the very least, had his destructive force under his control before anything else happened.

Then the walking garbage disposal known as Ron Weasley had opened his mouth and taken part in a flying lesson…without a broom.

Seeing that, Severus had begun to accelerate his plans to help Harry: with Minerva announcing the Yule Ball, Severus knew he could use the Christmas Holidays to help Harry turn his life around.

If only he had…

The sound of knocking distracted the man's thoughts; gently reaching for his wand, he called, "Come in!"

The door opened and Severus' eyes widened, "You? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to end it Severus…for Harry's sake," his visitor answered, the door to the Potions lab closing, leaving Severus and his mystery guest alone in the room.

_Chamber of Pride_

Harry and Hermione were looking through several notes on spellwork and duelling technique when the young teen looked to his friend, his heart still racing as he saw her tucking back her hair, exposing her young, angelic face. Harry, sensing the same heat-induced emotions from the day before, cleared his throat and returned his attention to his book, a part of him knowing he needed to speak with Remus as to the reason for these feelings.

You'd have to remember that, if Harry couldn't remember anything except the hell induced by the Dursleys, then he didn't know what it really felt like to be in love with someone, nor could he explain the typical teenage reactions experienced around someone who made him feel like he was in love.

Yep, he definitely needed to speak with Remus…

_**WhoAmI?**_

Harry, Hermione, Remus and Minerva all walked into Gringotts on Saturday morning, Harry dressed in the same midnight-blue robes as when he had left the Hospital Wing, Hermione, Minerva and Remus all wearing their Hogwarts robes, which in the case of the adults, looked brand new. Hermione had a feeling that a certain creature who respected Harry was behind this, but she hadn't said anything: if today went as she hoped, then Harry would meet that person and, hopefully, not be afraid or worried around him.

The sight of the goblins tending to their businesses had Harry worried, but, as soon as he touched Hermione's hand, all his fears were grounded and, as he looked at Remus, he saw the man giving him a sly wink and nodding to Hermione. It had been in the late evening that Harry had requested permission to speak with Remus from Professor McGonagall and he had been told a great deal, some of which he was determined to remember when the time was right. Remus, in his capacity as the only male Harry could speak with, had also given him _the talk_ and Harry had known then that what he felt was real, true love for Hermione.

However, when Remus had asked why Harry didn't say anything, Harry had just answered, "It's a surprise."

Reaching the front desk, Hermione asked, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Harry answered as Remus cleared his throat and addressed the goblin before them.

"Good day to you master goblin; may we speak in private with Lord Ragnok concerning the business of an Ancient Family?"

The goblin's reply was almost rehearsed as he explained, "None may speak with the Chief unless it is of the highest priority: who is the Family?"

"House Potter," replied Remus and the goblin dropped the sapphires he was measuring; looking up, he saw Harry standing there, his scar exposed and his eyes on the goblin. With a gulp, the goblin bowed with respect and left them alone for a few moments; while he was gone, Remus turned to Harry and addressed him like he always had done. "Now remember Harry, you are the Last Scion of your House and are here to see the Last Will of Lord and Lady Potter; don't let anything they say worry you as, by the end of it all, I promise that you will have the life you've always wanted, okay?"

"Okay Remus," Harry answered, before the goblin who had served them returned, accompanied by a rather hulking goblin dressed in chain-mail and what appeared to be dragon-scale armour; his head was covered by a helm that bore a series of constellations on its design. A powerful-looking war hammer was at his belt and, when he saw Harry, the goblin placed a hand to his heart and bowed.

"Lord Potter, truly it is an honour to see you are alive and well; I pray that your day proves profitable and your gold flows always."

"Same to you sir," Harry replied, mirroring the bow, much to the shock of the goblins around them; the armoured goblin then indicated the door behind them, which opened as if on mental command, admitting the small party through to what appeared to be a private, albeit well-decorated office that held several armoured guards who bowed to the goblin as well as Harry.

Once they were all inside, the goblin turned and indicated his guards, "Leave us."

They obeyed and he then turned to Harry, "Lord Potter, allow me to make the introductions: my name is Ragnok Silverfang; I am the Clan Chief and President of Gringotts and the European Goblin Nation. It is truly a pleasure to meet you in person and now, as custom dictates, I must ask that you and your party surrender their wands."

Hermione, Remus and Minerva obliged, before Ragnok looked to Harry, a curious gleam in his eyes; seeing what he was waiting for, Harry replied confidently, "My wand no longer reacts to me; I have not used it for some time, so I do not possess one: I solemnly swear that I will not use any form of magic to harm the goblin nation."

"Thank you Lord Potter," Ragnok then snapped his fingers and the four wizards and witches all gasped as a large table was revealed, a set of chairs around the table, the same starry design that adorned Ragnok's helm now upon the table's base.

Taking the seats, Ragnok taking the one in the centre, the goblin chief then asked, "So, Lord Potter, if I am to understand your request, you seek knowledge on the Ancient House, do you not?"

"I do," Harry replied, "As well as confirmation on the heritage of Lord Godric Gryffindor and Lord Salazar Slytherin."

"A noble request my lord," Ragnok answered, "If you'll excuse me."

He rose from his seat and walked to the edge of the room, where Harry and Hermione saw an alcove open, before Ragnok vanished into it, leaving the four of them to speak on what they had heard.

"Did I do well?" asked Harry, looking to Remus with an air of apprehension.

"You did brilliantly," Remus answered, "Every bit the lord that you are."

"Shame Snuffles couldn't come," Harry sighed, "I bet he'd have supported me here."

"Goblins are a bit snippy about pets, especially dogs," Hermione explained, "Besides, Madam Pomfrey said she'd look after him, so he'll be fine."

Both Remus and Minerva knew that to be a lie, but if Gringotts had suspected any Animagi in the room in their animal forms, then Sirius would have been revealed and Harry would have seen the man beneath the beast before he was ready to accept anything new about the world he had found himself in.

Ragnok soon returned, his eyes on Harry as he cleared his throat before speaking, "Lord Potter: I have performed the necessary checks on your familial lineage and, it is as you believe," he then swept his hand over his head and bowed to Harry, his crooked nose almost touching the floor. "I am honoured and privileged to be standing in the presence of Lord Gryffindor and Lord Slytherin: as such, my lord, your rights as Last Scion can be ignored. When an heir of an ancient lineage is discovered, they are automatically emancipated into our world and, at the request of said Lord, we at Gringotts can assign a vassal to guard, protect and be entrusted with the assets of the Lord until such a time as they feel they are ready to bear the full extent of their title."

"What does that mean?" asked Harry, looking to Minerva.

"It basically means that you can name someone to watch over all your fortunes and act as your voice in the wizarding world, especially the Ministry and the Wizengamot," Remus explained, looking to Ragnok as he asked, "And, just to be sure, are there any reports of Harry receiving any notice on this allowance around his eleventh birthday?"

"Yes Master Lupin," Ragnok answered, "We sent out a notice as well as all the necessary paperwork in the form of letters; it surprised us that we did not receive them back as they would have been needed to fully grant Lord Potter his rights and privileges."

"Letters?" asked Harry, and Hermione saw his eyes going into reminisce mode, "And would they have found any way to reach me?"

"I imagine so," Ragnok nodded.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, "What is it? What do you remember?"

"Before I turned eleven," Harry explained, "My Aunt and Uncle's house was under attack from so many letters; all Uncle ever said was that they weren't for me and had them destroyed…after that…ahh," he looked up to Hermione and shook his head, "Nothing: I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Hermione smiled, looking to Ragnok with determination, "Can Harry submit those papers now?"

"No," Ragnok answered, "All we'd need this time is his declaration…here," he handed Harry what appeared to be a long thin box that, when opened, revealed a rolled-up scroll of parchment held together by two rather intricate-looking clasps. Opening the parchment, Ragnok handed it to Harry as he explained, "Read that my lord and speak your full title as Lord Gryffindor-Slytherin-Potter and your heritage will be yours; you will also need to name your vassal."

"I understand," Harry replied, looking to the parchment as he declared, "I am Harry James Potter, Last Heir to the Noble and Ancient House of Potter, Heir of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin; from this day forth, I accept the mantle of Lord for each of these Houses as well as the assets and rights of these Lords. I am known now as Lord Harry James Gryffindor-Slytherin-Potter and, by my rights, I name…" he looked around, before he smiled and nodded once, his voice stronger than ever as he exclaimed, "Remus Lupin and Minerva McGonagall as Vassals to the Lord: it shall be their burden to act as my voice and advisors to the wizarding community and the fortunes of House Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin. On my magic and blood of my family I do decree, as Lord Potter, Lord Gryffindor and Lord Slytherin, so mote it be!"

"So mote it be," Remus and Minerva chorused, both of them stunned that Harry had named two vassals to his houses; however, it seemed to fit his liking as they knew he would need help understanding the world.

Instead of the usual flash of light that indicated an oath or declaration, there was only a powerful burst of magic that made Harry wince as his mind seemed to open, filling his mind with spell knowledge and familial history, a second mind suddenly opening within him, filling him with a dark knowledge of magic and rituals as well as a full understanding of his magical essence and the skill of Parseltongue.

When the magic died down, Harry noticed that the parchment before him was now stained with three drops of blood; looking to his hand, Harry saw a light cut that healed over instantly, the same wound now healing on the hands of Remus and Minerva, the Head of Gryffindor addressing the goblin chief. "Lord Ragnok, as Vassal to Lord Potter, I request that any information regarding his parents' wills or any magical revelations be sent to Remus or myself, will you comply?"

"I will Lady McGonagall," Ragnok answered, before he bowed again to Harry, "My Lord Potter, it is an honour and privilege to serve you."

"Thank you Ragnok," replied the young Lord, "But, to my friends, it's just Harry: now, if that's everything, I'd like to be on my way."

"Of course Harry," Ragnok answered, honoured that such a right had been given to him, "Should you ever need Gringotts assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me."

"Thank you," Harry replied, giving Ragnok one last bow before he left the office, flanked by his Hermione and his vassals; it was only after they had gathered some money from the vault that Harry felt it; pressed against his pocket was something long and thin; pulling it out, he revealed what appeared to be a wand, but this wand seemed better than the one Hermione had said was his.

It wasn't until he left the bank, deciding it would be better to not anger the goblins for thinking he betrayed them that he asked, "Professor, do you know where this wand came from?"

Minerva turned and her eyes widened in shock, her hand outstretched as she asked, "May I?"

Handing it to her, Harry watched as Minerva examined every inch of the wand, before she handed it back to Harry as she explained, "Harry, if I can still call you that?" When he nodded, she continued, "Harry, this wand has been lost for centuries: it is, if I am not mistaken, made from the exact opposite of another wand known as the Death Stick; this, you see, is a wand that, like its other, is made from Elder, but infused with a very rare ingredient: Pegasus' wing feather and the core of a fallen star: it is the ultimate wand for a Lord and was forged by someone you should know: after all, he _is_ your ancestor and that wand was his."

"What?" asked Hermione, "You mean…"

Harry looked down at the wand, its energy seemingly bonding to him as if to say it would never choose another and that it would be destroyed only with his death.

"Godric Gryffindor," he whispered, his emerald eyes shining brighter than ever.

_**A much longer chapter 5 and Harry has not only gained his lordship, but a wand that seems almost eager to serve him for all time: what other surprises await the dual-Founder's Heir with the Second Task and the Yule Ball approaching?**_

_**Plus, who was Severus' mysterious visitor and how can he help Harry?**_

_**And, with the Ball approaching, can Harry ask Hermione what he wants to or will Minerva have a dance with Severus?**_

_**Keep Reading to Find Out…**_

_**Next Chapter: With a new wand in hand, Harry begins to learn and train like never before, with surprising help from all four Houses, three members of staff, two very loyal friends and a surprise guest; plus, what is the secret behind Harry's scar and why is it making him ever more eager to win the tournament? Plus, it seems that Ragnok has a secret concerning Harry's loss of memory as well as the reason behind Dumbledore's desperation…**_

_**Following Chapter: In Three Words: THE YULE BALL! Will Harry ask Hermione to be his forever? Will Minerva dance with Severus? Will Ron be able to keep his nose out? Will Harry and Hermione be surprised by their attire? You'll have to wait and see…**_

_**Please Read and Review…**_


	7. 6: Old Friends and New Beginnings

Who Am I? A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Ginny

Draco/Astoria

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

_**Review Answers:**_

_**Bunny109: neither; he is simply a mentor wanting to help Harry;**_

_**MariusDarkwolf: yeah they would, but sadly, the relationship will be sorted by then…or will it? ;-)**_

_**Felawred: I might put something in for Weasley bashing soon, but the main event will come at the Yule Ball;**_

"_What?" asked Hermione, "You mean…"_

_Harry looked down at the wand, its energy seemingly bonding to him as if to say it would never choose another and that it would be destroyed only with his death._

"_Godric Gryffindor," he whispered, his emerald eyes shining brighter than ever._

Chapter 6: Old Friends and New Beginnings

Following the surprises and revelations at Gringotts, Harry felt a hell of a lot better knowing he was a Lord and that he was emancipated: when he had asked Remus if there was anything he needed to know about it, Remus explained it in a nutshell: basically, now that they had become his Vassals, both Remus and Minerva could opt for guardianship over Harry, which also meant that Harry would not need to return to the Dursleys, a fact that had Harry sobbing into Remus' robes, before Snuffles had been forced to endure bear-hug like strengths from Harry as the shaggy dog comforted his master. Deep within the canine's mind, however, Sirius knew that Harry was now safe and, even if Harry didn't want Remus or Minerva to watch over him, Sirius knew Harry would still be safe.

With Godric Gryffindor's wand in his hand, Harry was now also able to practice the spells and charms he had been reading about from the Pride's library and around the school. It was strange for Harry to be holding something that wasn't only his, but was also extremely powerful, the wand's unique properties almost strengthening the resolve of the young Lord as he continued researching possible outcomes for the Second Task, with help from the staff and Hermione.

However, the Friday after their Gringotts visit, Harry found that his allies weren't restricted to those who had stood by him: he was sat with Hermione in the Chamber's Common Room, a newly coloured Snuffles at Harry's heels: with the explanation provided by Hermione, Harry had changed Snuffles into a white-furred dog with an emerald bolt of lightning upon his forehead and a black streak of fur that covered the dog's underbelly and his paws. In truth, Sirius/Snuffles loved his new look and, without any uncomfortable emotions to conflict his look – as he had first compared himself to one of those damned Dalmatians – the Marauder felt a lot better every time he was seen with Harry.

Turning the page in his book, Harry suddenly looked up as a low growl rippled through the room: it was coming from the notice-board as a sign that there was someone at the entrance requesting access. Placing the book down, still open at its page, Harry looked to Hermione, before he asked, "Should I let them in Mione?"

"That's up to you Harry," Hermione explained, "As Lord Gryffindor, you don't need to decide on who comes in and who doesn't: you don't even have to answer the call."

Harry, however, patted his lap and watched as Snuffles followed in his wake, the young Lord walking to the board before he asked, "Who requests access?"

Words began to form on the board in golden-coloured writing, forming the names of Neville Longbottom, Ginerva Weasley and a name that made Hermione feel surprised:

Draco Malfoy!

"They can come in," Harry remarked, speaking before Hermione had a chance to say anything: at his command, the portrait parted and the two Gryffindors walked into the Common Room, accompanied by the so-called Silver Prince of Slytherin, all of whom looked rather awed at the sight of Harry and Hermione's living quarters.

Neville was looking at Hermione while Ginny was looking at the floor; Malfoy, on the other hand, was standing tall and proud, any trace of resentment or rivalry from a long time before now gone from his face. When Harry closed the portrait hole, he looked to each of the students before he addressed Malfoy first, "I've seen you around school Malfoy: you're a member of Slytherin and don't think I don't know that you detest anything to do with Gryffindor, so I'll give you one chance: what are you doing here?"

Harry's comments slightly confused the Malfoy Heir: why would he act like they'd never met? Whatever the answer was, Draco was determined to prove he could forgive and forget and, as he looked to Hermione, he didn't even sneer as he answered Harry's question. "I'm actually here to offer you something Potter: like the rest of the school, I saw what you did to Weasley last week and, given our past, I've decided that it's better to stand at the devil's side than in his path. So," he held out his hand and Hermione was reminded of when Harry had told her about Malfoy's offer of friendship. "If you accept this hand, I can pretend that everything that happened between us didn't happen and you can consider me your first friend in Slytherin House."

Neville, looking from Harry to Malfoy, felt the old sensation of angst rising: he wanted to speak out against this, but something warned him that it was better to let Harry make his own choices. Looking to Harry again, he watched as the young Potter seemed to consider it, before he spoke to Malfoy, "I'm not looking for friends who seek to use me for their own ends Malfoy; if you become my friend, then it means you are respecting my other friends and accept the fact that my destiny and my path are my own. Oh, and I will warn you: if you become my friend and _dare_ to insult Hermione, then I will drop you from the seventh floor staircase and let you fall. So, now I ask you Draco Malfoy, do you accept these terms of friendship and alliance with Hermione and I?"

Draco felt his heart stop dead: a mudblood? A damned mudblood would be his friend? But, as he was about to answer in the negative, he remembered the sight and sound of Weasley flying through the window simply for calling the girl a practice girlfriend: if he even thought of using that word in Harry's presence, then the Potter boy would make good on his threat.

"Yes," he answered, knowing he was going to regret it. "I accept your terms Potter: I swear that I shall never speak to Miss Granger in an insulting manner or harm her while you and I are friends."

"Then," Harry took the hand and shook it, "I'd be glad to call you my friend Draco."

'Especially,' he added in thought, 'Since I am Lord Slytherin, which means I'd need eyes and ears within those walls as well.'

He then turned to Neville, who he noticed was looking slightly pale; with as much of a smile as he could muster, Harry asked, "What's wrong Longbottom? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"N-no Harry," Neville remarked, "But you c-can be a bit scary when you threaten someone: sorry, I guess I should do this right: in our past," he stood tall and proud, a gesture that made Hermione suspicious as she listened to Neville speak. "Your family and mine have been very good friends: now, since I saw what you did to Ginny's brother, I made a choice to stand with you and help you protect Hermione's good name. Now, if you allow me to do that, then I can also help you learn to keep your body healthy and agile as well as helping you with studies and acting as the warrior of your family."

"Meaning?" asked Harry, looking with confusion to Hermione.

Thankfully, Neville seemed to understand Harry was having difficulty understanding, so, to put it simply, he kneeled to Harry and spoke with authority, "Lord Harry James Potter, I, Neville Longbottom, Scion to the House of Longbottom and Heir of the Family hereby wish to rebuild the kinship and alliance between our hallowed families as your friend and ally."

Now that, thanks to Remus' explanations about the meanings behind a Lordship, was something Harry understood; placing a hand on Neville's head, Harry answered, "Scion Longbottom, I, Lord Harry James Potter accept your friendship and accept the proposal to rebuild our families' alliance: you may stand, my brother-in-arms."

As Neville stood, there was a flash of crimson light and, as Harry watched, he saw the Gryffindor Family Crest appear on Neville's left shoulder, the Gryffindor lion now accompanied by an emerald serpent and a brown-bodied stag. This unique crest was one that Harry knew meant that Neville was a vassal/warrior of a Triple-Class-Lord, which, as Lord of Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin, was what Harry was recognised as. When Remus had explained about a Lord's place, Harry had designed the Crest to signify his three Houses and now, with the lion on the upper side of the crest, the stag on the lower and the snake weaving between them, Harry thought it looked even better than he pictured it.

Looking to Ginny, Harry heaved a sigh as he explained, "Before you say anything Ginny, I just want to apologise for the bad luck you seem to have in being related to a dragon-dung-brained git like that asshole and now, I guess it's safe to ask it: how can I help you?"

"Harry," Ginny seemed almost nervous as she looked to the crest on Neville's shoulder, which she then noticed was also printed on Harry's right shoulder and trimmed in golden thread. "I…I just want you to know that Neville, my brothers and I have all been talking and, given what's happened, we wanted you to know that the other Gryffindors have all decided to band together and help you, though I guess with the ferret here means that Slytherin's have decided to do the same."

"That's right," Draco remarked, not at all happy with the ferret comment, but he wasn't going to say anything to Ginny with Harry listening in.

"And," added Neville, speaking now with more confidence, as if his initiation into Harry's circle of friends had given him strength anew, "From what I heard from a friend of mine, it would appear that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are going to do the same, though it may just be for the duration of the tournament."

"That's fine," Harry replied, looking to the three before him as he added, "I wasn't expecting miracles to happen: Hermione told me that the Tournament is meant to provide a sense of inter-house sportsmanship and that's what the four Houses all standing with me are helping to provide, right?"

"Right," Neville agreed.

Ginny spoke again, "Harry, I'm not going to deny that I had dreams of being your girlfriend when I was younger, but, seeing you and Hermione as friends tells me that it's just that: a dream. So, here I am, simply wishing to be a friend and close confidant to you and Hermione as and when you need me: the twins are also willing to do the same."

"Thanks Ginny," Harry smiled, unaware of Hermione staring daggers at the red-head for bringing up a past that Harry wouldn't remember. As she looked back to Harry, she saw that he was smiling and, once again, his hand was outstretched, "I'm more than willing to have you as a friend Ginny, as long as you don't follow that Dead Man Walking into areas where he may find results he won't like."

"I won't," Ginny smiled, before she stepped forwards and hugged Harry tightly, feeling relieved that he didn't judge her or the twins solely on the behaviour of one Dead Man Walking Weasley; as she pulled away, she then looked to Draco before the idea came to her. "You know, if we're all going to be allies, then we'll need a name. Something our little gathering could be known as that displays an agreement between the four Houses and is headed by Harry."

"But what?" asked Neville, a part of him liking the idea.

Apparently, so did Hermione as she suggested, "Before we decide anything, we need to find out who's willing to join this little gathering: Ginny, Neville; you two can help…Malfoy here look for potential allies and, after the Yule Ball, we can meet up and decide there and then on a name, but we're all in agreement that this team is to promote the unity that the Tournament wishes for while, at the same time, we need to promise that it will continue even after the Tournament, deal?"

"Deal," Ginny and Neville chorused, Draco providing his agreement a few seconds later, before, with a simple nod to Harry, Ginny and Draco left the room, leaving Neville with his new liege-lord and Hermione.

"Lord Potter," Neville then spoke up, "If you ever need me, I will be there to help you; now, I must ask and, as your brother-in-arms, I am bound to secrecy concerning my Lord, but…why do you look as if you don't know who I am?"

"Because," Harry replied, indicating the seats; Neville sat down, and it was a good thing as he nearly fainted when Harry added, "I don't."

Looking to Hermione, Neville began to ask what he meant by that when the Gryffindor Queen spoke up, "Better get comfortable Neville: it's a long story."

"And," added Lord Potter, "For the sake of our alliance, please just call me Harry, okay Neville?"

"Okay," Neville replied, before he settled down to listen to Hermione's tale.

_**WhoAmI?**_

Minerva McGonagall was going through her usual list of students staying for the holidays when a knock at her office door made her look up; laying down the list, she asked, "Who is it?"

"Harry," came the familiar reply, "Can I come in Professor?"

"Of course," McGonagall answered, watching as the young lord walked into the office, decked out in his favourite robe, his Tri-Lord's Crest clearly shown on his right shoulder. When he closed the door, Minerva crafted a privacy ward before she asked, "How are your studies going Harry?"

"Fine Minerva," Harry answered, settling into his chair as he asked, "You sent a message saying Ragnok contacted you?"

"I did and he did," Minerva explained, before she added, "Before we continue though; I feel there's someone you should meet: he's a friend of yours who has wanted to help you out ever since you woke in the Hospital Wing, but I couldn't let him in case he scared you."

"Okay," Harry nodded, "Who is he?"

"His name is Dobby," Minerva replied, "And, a few years ago, you saved him from a bad life where he was hurt and abused by those who he answered to; in order to repay you for this, Dobby bound himself to you and is now your House Elf."

"House Elf?" asked Harry, a note of confusion in his voice.

"That's right," Minerva answered, "They are like workers for the wizarding world: they'll do anything that their masters ask them to do and are mainly around to help with basic housework and send messages between different witches and wizards; a lot faster than an owl at least."

"That reminds me," Harry spoke up, "I was wondering why I don't have an owl professor?"

"Actually," Minerva replied, slightly worried about how he would take this, "You do: she's in the Owlery where most of the students' owls decide to stay: if you like, we can go out and you can see her. I know she's missed seeing you Harry because, between you and me, I think she's developed a bond similar to a familiar with you."

"Wow," Harry gasped, "Sounds like a real friend."

"She is," Minerva smiled, glad that he was taking this so well, "So, shall I call for Dobby?"

"On a phone?" asked Harry, but as soon as he said it, he knew that it sounded stupid.

Thankfully, Minerva didn't add to his embarrassment as she explained, "No Harry; House Elves are summoned by their name: do you want to try it?"

"Er…okay," Harry replied, before he raised his voice and called, "Dobby!"

There was a moment's silence before, with a loud pop, the familiar elf appeared: the only difference to him was immediately noticed by Minerva and Harry: instead of the pillowcase that Dobby always wore, the young elf was now dressed in a shorter version of Harry's midnight-blue robe, the Tri-Lord's Crest printed clearly on the elbow of Dobby's sleeves.

"Master Harry!" squealed the elf, "Dobby is so pleased to see that you is well sir."

"Thank you Dobby," Harry replied, before he kneeled down next to the creature as he addressed him, "Now, I hope you understand that I can't really remember when I helped you, right?"

"Yes sir," Dobby explained, "Miss Minnie explained it all to Dobby, but Dobby is still Harry Potter's friend and servant sir; Dobby is proud to be a member of Harry Potter's family sir."

"That's good," Harry nodded, "Now, if this is going to work, then I ask that you'll only call me Harry, understand?"

"Yes Harry," Dobby replied, feeling a sense of elation to be back in service to his friend.

"Second," Harry explained, "You're my friend, not my servant; so, if there's ever anything you need, just let me know, okay Dobby?"

"Harry Potter," Dobby cried, before he gave Harry a strong hug around the neck, "Dobby always said you were great wizard sir; Dobby will do as his friend asks."

"Thank you," Harry smiled, before he added, "Now, since you seem to work for me, would you like a payment? You can ask for whatever you want."

"Dobby does not wish payment sir," the elf answered, half-offended that Harry had dared ask that, "Dobby's payment is the knowledge that Harry Potter is happy and well sir, though Dobby must ask a question sir."

"Of course."

"Dobby has a friend sir," the elf explained, "She is Winky and she has no master; spends all her time drinking and harming herself sir: Dobby would be grateful to Harry Potter if Harry Potter would please accept Winky as family and as elf sir?"

"Just tell me what I need to do," Harry replied, earning himself another squealing hug from Dobby who, in short, quick sentences, explained everything Harry would need to do.

_**WhoAmI?**_

"Thunderbolt!"

Hermione looked up in shock as she heard Harry speaking with such happiness: when he walked in accompanied not only by Minerva, but a very familiar elf and a very familiar owl, Hermione understood the reason for Harry's elation. Sitting next to her, Harry watched as the owl flew from his arm and landed on one of the rafters above their heads; looking upwards, Harry explained, "Her name's Hedwig and she's mine Mione: when she saw me, it was like seeing an old friend and, though I don't really remember her, I still felt like a part of me had been given back."

"That's lovely Harry," smiled Hermione, before she noticed the elf, "And I see that you met Dobby, but why is he wearing the crest?"

"Professor McGonagall said he bound himself to me," Harry explained, "Dobby also asked that I help a friend of his: Winky!"

With another pop, a female elf that Hermione recalled from the Quidditch World Cup appeared; this elf was dressed in a light-blue robe with Harry's Crest on her elbow; looking to Harry, Hermione was about to start asking about equal rights and payments when Harry just smiled at her, those eyes of his and that innocence claiming her before he explained, "Winky has agreed to help us as long as we don't ask her to leave: both her and Dobby are our friends, but, I decided that if Dobby was going to be helping me, then Winky should help you…is that all right?" he asked, seeing the near-confused look on Hermione's face.

With a sigh, Hermione nodded and answered, "Yes Harry; that's more than all right: I mean, it's obvious that we'll need help sometimes, so yes, you did the right thing…it's okay."

With another smile, Harry looked to Minerva before he asked, "What did Ragnok say Professor? I forgot to ask you when you introduced Dobby."

"That's right," Minerva replied, looking to her lions, "Well, he asked for a meeting with you and Hermione about your magical core and about your hidden magic: we can go straight away if you want to."

"Why not?" asked Harry with a simple shrug.

_**WhoAmI?**_

Harry, Hermione, Remus and Minerva all travelled to Gringotts on the following weekend, during which Harry also began to revise his dancing lessons; to their combined surprise, it appeared that Harry possessed the grace and style that he usually displayed when flying and, whenever he held his partner in his arms, it was like the two of them were flying.

Now, entering Gringotts, Harry found that they were seen to Ragnok's office immediately, the goblin chief looking almost unnerved as he bowed them inside, Harry once more mimicking the show of respect with as much confidence and grace as he could muster. Once they were seated, Minerva asked, "So Ragnok, as Vassal to Lord Potter, I would like to know what it is that you discovered about Lord Potter's magic."

"As you wish," Ragnok answered, looking to Harry with an air of true respect. "Harry, as you are aware, there are things about your past four years at Hogwarts School that you can't remember, correct?"

"Yes," Harry answered, "And whenever I try, it only insists on giving me a real headache."

"Well," Ragnok explained, "There is actually a reason for that: when I discovered it, I was angry at first, but, the more I looked into it, the more I realised that you were better off without it."

"Without what?" asked Hermione, watching Harry in case of a magical outburst.

"Barriers Miss Granger," Ragnok explained, "Blocks and there were a lot of them: some were meant to dampen his magic, others to alter his personality and there was even one to make him forget about his childhood, but you see, when this one was released, it had a counter-measure."

"Which was what?" asked Harry, slightly angered at how someone had just warped his mind and his very being into some kind of guinea pig.

"Injury," Ragnok explained, "Should your mind have ever been injured to the point where you could have ended up comatose, the ward was to break and erase your mind up to your childhood; it seems that this memory ward was also meant to keep you on a path where, if you don't mind me saying Harry, you would have ended up dead before seeing twenty."

"So," Harry remarked, "You're telling me that my memories are gone because, to put it simply, I've just woken up from a dream that would have otherwise killed me?"

"That's…pretty much it," Ragnok nodded, "But when I investigated the reason for such a ward, I found something that may have also been the reason for such a powerful outburst of magic lately."

"Which is?" asked Remus.

"A portion of dark magic," Ragnok explained, "Otherwise known as a Horcrux: it is a piece of a person's soul that takes refuge within a being's mind or within an inanimate object. When triggered, the Horcrux can either grant power to its user or affect them to the point where the soul within the Horcrux possesses the one who triggers the Horcrux. Now, if I am right Harry: when you had your accident that resulted in you losing four years worth of memory, your magic compensated itself and absorbed the Horcrux within you, but, here's the scary thing: the owner of the Horcrux was none other than…the Dark Lord Voldemort."

"Voldemort?" asked Harry, shocked into near-submission as he asked, "Why would he do that to me? What is a piece of his soul doing in my head?"

"I believe," Ragnok answered, deciding it would be better to keep the young wizard calm. "He did it as an intention to pass on the heritage of one Salazar Slytherin and, with help from these blocks placed on your magic; what once was meant to be a gift was turned into a curse: you could have even had nightmares about the encounter my lord Potter. Either way, the Horcrux's powers have now been absorbed into you, giving you the full control of Lord Slytherin's legacy and resources and, though I do not wish to say it, if you ever met the Dark Lord again, the last thing you would choose to do is oppose him."

"You're right," Minerva gasped, "That is the last thing we would wish to hear; you, Master Ragnok, are insinuating that Harry is going to join You-Know-Who and then, when the time is right, become the next Dark Lord."

"He may be insinuating," Harry answered, "But when you think about it Professor, would it be so bad? It's either him or the manipulations of whoever decided to play my mind like a string instrument and treat me like some kind of ticking time bomb."

"Hate to admit it Minerva," Remus sighed, "But Harry's right," he then lowered his voice and spoke in a hushed whisper to the Gryffindor Head. "Besides, if Ragnok is right, then think: who do we know that would rather see Harry dead than strong?"

"Albus," Minerva gasped, looking to the young Lord.

"And," added Remus, "You and I need to remember that we were named Harry's Vassals, which means that, no matter what he chooses, we have to go along with it: a Vassal's Oath of Allegiance is stronger than an Unbreakable Vow and it's something we can't break."

"I know," Minerva whispered, "But Remus: it's…_him_: Lily and James would never…"

"Professor, I _can_ hear you," Harry explained, his voice as firm as ever as he continued, "And while I may not know much about my parents, I know they would want me to follow my own destiny and, as Lord of three legacies, I have the means to do that. If it means siding with Voldemort, then so be it: and, as Lord of your Vassal House, I would expect you to follow me with loyalty: that is, after all, why I chose you as my Vassal."

"I know," Minerva repeated, "And I will, but if I do, you must promise me something Harry."

"Of course," Harry nodded. "What is it?"

"That you do not allow the darkness that Voldemort controls to consume you: promise me that you'll always stay the noble, proud leader that you are and not some monster of the dark arts."

Harry, looking to Ragnok, gave a smile, before he asked, "If I do, will you let me forge my own destiny?"

"Yes."

"Then," Harry reached out and gently took the Gryffindor Head's hands, before, with a slow smile, he nodded to her and answered, "I promise."

_**Chapter 6 and Harry seems to know a few home truths, but where can he learn the full story? Severus? Dumbledork? Voldemort?**_

_**Also, can Harry embrace the dark without actually becoming some crazed dark wizard?**_

_**And, can he and Hermione enjoy the Yule Ball without any outside interference?**_

_**Keep Reading to Find Out…**_

_**Next Chapter: In Three Words: THE YULE BALL! Will Harry ask Hermione to be his forever? Will Minerva dance with Severus? Will Ron be able to keep his nose out? Will Harry and Hermione be surprised by their attire? You'll have to wait and see…**_

_**Following Chapter: **__**The Yule Ball's aftermath and why is Harry so upset? Plus, it seems that his little four-house federation has some new members: what will they do to help their champion? Also, Cedric decides to repay Harry's **_**forgotten**_** help from the First Task;**_

_**Please Read and Review…**_

_**NOTE: I would like to thank MariusDarkwolf for inspiration for the use of crests and ranks for Neville and Dobby; the inspiration comes from the story 'Harry Potter and the Eyes of the Serpent'**_


	8. 7: Confrontations At Christmas

Who Am I? A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Ginny

Draco/Astoria

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

_**Review Answers:**_

_**Redwoodx: All Harry's allies are revealed in this chapter;**_

_**MariusDarkwolf: Actually, pretty well considering he IS the Vassal of the Lord; I'm glad you liked the use of the crests;**_

_**Slytherin66: All good points, but I'm not going to turn Ginny into the crazed stalker that some fanfics portray her as; she is happy for Harry;**_

_Harry, looking to Ragnok, gave a smile, before he asked, "If I do, will you let me forge my own destiny?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Then," Harry reached out and gently took the Gryffindor Head's hands, before, with a slow smile, he nodded to her and answered, "I promise."_

Chapter 7: Confrontations At Christmas

Despite the very heavy load of homework that the fourth years had been given for the holidays. Harry was in no mood to work when term ended, and spent the week leading up to Christmas enjoying himself as fully as possible along with everyone else. Snow was falling thickly upon the castle and its grounds now. The pale blue Beauxbatons carriage looked like a large, chilly, frosted pumpkin next to the iced gingerbread house that was Hagrid's cabin, while the Durmstrang ship's portholes were glazed with ice, the rigging white with frost. The house-elves down in the kitchen were outdoing themselves with a series of rich, warming stews and savory puddings, and only Fleur Delacour seemed to be able to find anything to complain about.

"It is too 'eavy, all zis 'Ogwarts food," they heard her saying grumpily as they left the Great Hall behind her one evening. "I will not fit into my dress robes!"

"Oooh there's a tragedy," Hermione snapped as Fleur went out into the entrance hall. "She really thinks a lot of herself, that one, doesn't she?"

"Look who's talking," laughed Harry playfully, "I mean, when I see you in your dress, I expect to be knocked for six and you seem to be making the best efforts possible to do just that."

"Harry!" laughed Hermione, before they were both stopped dead by a third voice, which carried across the corridor.

"Don't know why you bother going with something like _that_ Potter," a fourth-year Slytherin was suggesting, "Why don't you get yourself a real woman and leave the mud…"

The word had barely left the fourth-year's lips when she was bombarded with the force of a speeding train, sending her flying into the wall, the magical blast now sealing her within the wrappings of a tapestry. Looking through the hole in her trappings, the fourth-year gasped as she saw Harry now standing before her, his wand inches from her face.

"Name!" he demanded, his emerald eyes glowing madly.

"P-Pansy P-Parkinson," stammered the pug-faced witch, "S-S-Slytherin and P-Pureblood; I'll s-see you in p-prison for this."

"No you won't," Harry snarled, pouring all his magic into his words, "Because you disgrace the name of Slytherin and," he indicated his crest and Pansy's words were lost as she recognised the emerald serpent image on Harry's Tri-Crest. "As Lord Slytherin," he continued, "I forbid you from ever addressing any like my Hermione like that again: if you do, the consequences will be severe…_Diffindo._"

The tapestry fell away, dropping Pansy to the floor, before Harry asked, "So, Miss Parkinson, is there something you need to say to Hermione that _won't_ involve you needing medical attention?"

Pansy was affronted: Lord Slytherin wanted her to apologise to a damned Mudblood?

"Is there a problem here Mr Potter?" asked an icy voice, making Pansy's day brighten; however, as Severus Snape appeared next to Harry, she saw her Head of House standing almost supportively with the half-blood and the mudblood.

"No Professor," Harry replied, "Just defending my House's good name and the happiness of my best friend from slanderous words spoken by this witch. Since she won't apologise, I leave you to decide her punishment."

Taking Hermione's hand, Harry left the Entrance Hall and walked up towards the Pride's Chamber, Severus watching as the young Miss Parkinson went for her wand.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he advised her, "He'll braid your legs."

"But Professor," Parkinson whimpered, "It was an unprovoked attack and then use of magic on a pureblood heiress: aren't you going to do anything?"

"Yes," Severus replied, "I'm going to take 10 points from Slytherin for insulting the close, personal friend of an Ancient Lord and then forbid you from attending the Yule Ball, will that suffice Parkinson?"

With a sneer, Severus strode past Pansy, counting the seconds on one hand before he heard her shrieking voice screaming all the way down through the dungeons, the Potions Master still determined to make good on his word to help Harry re-adjust into the world: while he had seen an improvement from the young boy in Potions, he had also seen a greater sense of protectiveness and now seemed constantly alert for the happiness of his friends, especially Miss Granger.

Severus, who had been told of Minerva's little wager, had a sudden inkling that he was going to need some dress robes for the Ball himself…unless Harry asked Hermione to become his girlfriend.

Even then, if that went according to his plan, Severus had a feeling that Harry would make sure nobody could harm a hair on Hermione's head and, with the resources and knowledge from Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin on his side, as well as his fully-powered magical core, Severus actually found that he felt sorry for anybody who dared to get in Harry's way. This made him wonder about the changes he had also seen in his godson: Draco, he knew, had reconciled his allegiance with Harry and swore to never insult Miss Granger, which took care of the Slytherin element, but Severus couldn't help but wonder:

'What about Mr Weasley?'

_**WhoAmI?**_

Pretty soon, Harry and Hermione found themselves twenty-four hours away from the Yule Ball and, while Hermione was still keeping her attire secret, she was finding it hard to keep another little secret from Harry; on the night of Christmas Eve, while Harry was receiving help from Remus on things to do that were right for the night, Hermione was up in the Pride's Chamber, speaking with Sirius.

"Hermione," he sighed, "How much longer do I have to do this? Every time I see that look in his eyes, I want to comfort him and tell him everything will be all right, but I'm reduced to whines and paws on the lap."

"Are you complaining?" asked Hermione, looking to Sirius with a rage-filled glare. "Do you think I like keeping you hidden from Harry? You're literally his only real family and he doesn't know you exist: tell me honestly Sirius, do you think I like this?"

"I guess not," Sirius answered, "But Hermione…"

"But nothing," Hermione snapped, her eyes full of worry, "Tomorrow night, okay? Once we return from the Yule Ball, I'll let slip my hints about you and your past and, if Harry wants to see you _then_ you can reveal yourself, but, until then, you're going to keep as a dog and help Harry build up his confidence for tomorrow, understand?"

"Yes," Sirius sighed, looking at the brunette as he then asked, "What's got you so upset anyway? You're going to the ball with your Prince Charming and you're going to spend the night in his arms; I've seen the two of you practicing and I have to say that you have no fears about being embarrassed or let down by Harry."

"I know," she smiled in reply, "And I'm thankful to him, but, whenever I look at him, all I see is the Harry I know and…and…"

"Love?" asked Sirius, a playful grin on his face; when Hermione nodded, he asked, "Then why not tell him?"

"I'm afraid he'll turn me away," Hermione answered, sitting down on her bed as she looked to Sirius, "Or he'll be too scared to say anything that he may suffer from a relapse."

"I highly doubt that," Sirius grinned, before he sat next to her as he explained, "Hermione, I've been at Harry's side as Snuffles for a while now and, during one such excursion, he went to speak to Remus about feelings that he was enduring; feelings that he said were about someone he cared for very deeply, even if he couldn't remember the past."

Hermione looked at Sirius with wide eyes: Harry? Her Harry was talking about feeling certain emotions around _her_?

"And?" she asked, "What did Remus say?"

"First he gave Harry _the talk_," Sirius replied, giving one of his sly winks to Hermione, "Then he told Harry to wait for the opportune moment to speak his mind, but always remember to follow his heart. Hermione, he does love you, but, when you consider he can't recall any emotion except for fear and pain, you can understand his need to wait."

Hermione gave herself a mental slap to the forehead: why hadn't she seen it before? Without the memory of friendship or real familiarity, all he was left to feel was a strong sense of pain and loss, which meant he wouldn't understand what was going on within his heart.

Looking to the Marauder, Hermione nodded, "You're right Sirius: I'll wait for him to deliver the moment, but only if you wait for him to feel ready to meet you, understand?"

Sirius became Snuffles and gently nuzzled Hermione's palm, before he looked up into her eyes and, with a look that would have melted the hardest heart, barked his reply.

_**WhoAmI?**_

Harry was awoken the next morning by something very large and slobbery pouncing on his bed; once he was sure that he was safe, he laughed with delight as he saw Snuffles licking his face, his large four-poster now only occupied by himself, which made him slightly worried. It was only when he realised that it was Christmas Morning that Harry supposed Hermione had let him sleep while she prepared her surprise for the evening.

Going down to the Common Room, he found said witch neatly arranging a pile of what couldn't be mistaken for presents, each one of them in a pile marked _Harry_; patting Snuffles on the head, Harry crept up behind Hermione and, with a laugh, grabbed her round the waist, lifting her into the air with a cry of "Merry Christmas Mione!"

"Harry," she laughed, before turning and embracing him in a warm, friendly hug, "Merry Christmas to you too: here," She handed him the first parcel, "Dobby received your gifts from everybody."

Opening the gifts, Harry found his heart soaring: the first he opened was definitely the worst: it was from the Dursleys and contained a soggy, snotty tissue that seemed to have been dragged through a dog's leavings and woven into what looked like a whole bunch of equally deformed tissues. Shaking his head, Harry looked down at Snuffles before he said, "Here boy; you can do with this as you wish."

Sirius, hearing the rage in his pup's voice, wanted to change back there and then, but only Hermione's warning glare told him otherwise; rubbing his shaggy head under Harry's hand, Sirius whined in reply as Hermione spoke up, "Remember Harry, your life has changed now and you don't need to see them again."

"You're right Mione," Harry replied, moving almost immediately onto his next gift. This one was from Remus and, when Harry opened it, he found a framed photo of his parents with baby Harry in the middle, Lily and James waving at him merrily; in the corner of the picture was a magically-written message:

_Never forget who really cares for you_

The next gift, however, confused Harry: the wrappings said that it was from the Weasley Twins and, when Harry opened it, he was surprised to find what appeared to be an old parchment until an additional note fell out of the wrapping, "_Thought you might like this for your future endeavours; don't worry Harry, we won't tell anyone; to open, say _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good;_ to close, say _Mischief Managed._"_

"Did you tell the twins about me?" asked Harry warily, looking to Hermione.

"No," she admitted, "But, do you remember when we told Neville? Well, I allowed him to swear the right kind of friends under an oath that would keep them from telling others; at least this way, our little gathering can have people who know the truth and, as Ginny said, the twins may as well serve you because of…well, because of your dad's legacy."

"I guess you're right," Harry sighed, "Though I wish you had told me about it Mione."

Hermione told him that she was sorry, before giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek and handing his next gift to him, while she began unwrapping her own; along with the parchment and picture, Harry also found a brand-new set of journals that would only open with his password from Minerva, a book on Healing Magic from Poppy, a set of potion-crafting kits and vials from Severus as well as a charm necklace from Filius that, according to the letter, would help protect him from people trying to enter his mind. Pomona had also sent him a set of dragon-hide gloves along with what appeared to be a copy of _Enchanted Forrester's Guide to Terra Firma_, which, when Harry opened it, found that it was a combination of Herbology and Potions in one.

His final gift was from Hermione and Neville, the two of them having put together for it: when Harry opened it, he was slightly confused as he found almost nothing there until, rubbing his fingers over the surface, he found a watery touch under his fingers; pulling the fabric away, Harry exposed a long silvery cloak as well as a black-bound journal filled with images of Harry, his parents as well as a few about his friends, minus Ron – a precaution that Hermione had taken – which Neville and Hermione had hoped would help Harry remember who his real friends were.

"Thanks Mione," Harry smiled, before he held up the cloak and asked, "What's this?"

"It belonged to your Father," answered Hermione, "It's known as an Invisibility Cloak; when you put it on, you'll become invisible to the naked eye."

"Really?" asked Harry, holding the cloak like a lifelong treasure: his Father's? This had belonged to his Father and now belonged to him?

"It's an extremely rare item," Hermione continued, "And it's all yours."

"Wow," gasped Harry, "Mione…thank you," he looked to her and Hermione smiled with a friendly expression as she saw tears in his eyes: this was to be a priceless treasure to Harry and now, with friends and familial memories, Harry was feeling a lot better than he had nearly a month beforehand.

Harry and Hermione met up with Neville, Ginny and the twins in the corridor, and they went down to breakfast together. They spent most of the morning in Gryffindor Tower, where everyone was enjoying their presents, Hermione keeping an eye on Dead Man Walking, who seemed to have a planning look in his eyes, then returned to the Great Hall for a magnificent lunch, which included at least a hundred turkeys and Christmas puddings, and large piles of Cribbage's Wizarding Crackers.

They went out onto the grounds in the afternoon; the snow was untouched except for the deep channels made by the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students on their way up to the castle. Hermione chose to watch Harry and the Weasleys' snowball fight rather than join in, and at five o'clock said she was going back upstairs to get ready for the ball.

"Suppose I should as well," Harry replied, his heart feeling suddenly very tight as he tried not to think about the impression he would have to present that night. Behind him, the twins seemed to be deep in discussion, before, as Harry reached the door, Fred grabbed Harry's arm as he looked to the young wizard.

"Harry," he spoke up, "Did you like the map?"

"Map?" asked Harry, looking to the twins.

"You didn't open it?" asked George, slightly stunned.

"Not really," Harry replied, feeling slightly worried at how the twins sounded disappointed in him. "Why? Was I meant to?"

"Nah," Fred laughed, "In your own time: listen, George and I have been thinking about starting a business where our little inventions for pranking can be sold…"

"But," continued George, "We need a bit of a starting funds and that, dear brother in all but blood, is where you come in."

"You see," Fred explained, "You're the son of a band of famous wizards called the Marauders, heroes to us, and, as the son of a Marauder as well as Heir of Gryffindor, you can consider us as your humble servants."

"Really?" asked Harry.

"Sure," George grinned, "Fred and I are willing to swear our services to you in exchange for help and assistance with our business; in return for which, we can also help keep certain elements in the dark and award you, dear brother in all but blood, with instant, _free_ access to some of our inventions."

"So what do you say?" they asked in unison.

"Give me three days to think about it," Harry replied almost immediately, "But understand that, while you may have been sworn to silence, you are both expected to see me as your Lord so, if you do this, you'll have to stand with me no matter what, clear?"

The twins gave him a mock salute before they chorused, "Yes my lord."

"Leave it," Harry laughed, before he asked, "See you at the ball then?"

"Good luck Harry," they replied, watching as their new lord and benefactor left them to continue their watery war with the others.

_**WhoAmI?**_

The entrance hall was packed with students, all milling around waiting for eight o'clock, when the doors to the Great Hall would be thrown open. Those people who were meeting partners from different Houses were edging through the crowd trying to find one another. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry smiled as he saw Neville, who was dressed in brand-new silken robes, arm-in-arm with Ginny Weasley, who looked like she could bring sunshine to any rainy day. The Tri-Crest was clear on Neville's left shoulder and also easily noticed as it had replaced the Gryffindor Crest on his robe; Ginny, meanwhile, gave Harry a warm, friendly smile as they walked over to him.

"Hi Harry," Neville grinned, eyeing his lord, "You look like a real lord, you know?"

"Thanks Neville," Harry replied and, to be honest, he was proud of his appearance: he was dressed in a long set of midnight-blue robes with gold and silver dancing around the trim of the robe and the neckline; beneath that, he wore a brand-new black shirt and trousers, both inlaid with the Gryffindor Crest while his Tri-Crest was clearly etched on his right shoulder, trimmed in gold; his eyes seemed to sparkle like the emerald gems they were compared to and his hair was styled with a neat, but formal appearance, the Potter family ring, which he had been given by Ragnok, now adorning his right ring finger.

"Harry," Ginny spoke up, "There's someone we want to introduce you to."

They both turned and Harry watched as a pair of third-years walked over to him, which slightly confused Harry as he thought the ball was for fourth-years and above. He soon got his answer as a fourth-year Hufflepuff as well as – and Harry had to make sure he wasn't seeing things – Draco walked over to them.

"Harry," Draco nodded, "This is Susan Bones, niece to Amelia, who is the Head of the DMLE, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and you may know her date, Colin Creevey; this," he then added, indicating the other third year: a blonde-haired, blue eyed wonder who seemed to enchant Harry with her silvery and deep blue gown, her long blonde hair tied behind her head, "Is Luna Lovegood: she's my date for the ball."

"Pleasure," Harry replied, shaking each of their hands, before, as if he _were_ a true lord, he lightly kissed the hands of Susan and Luna, both of whom seemed stunned to receive such a welcome from Harry Potter. Looking back to Draco, Harry had to admit that he was impressed with his friend: the Slytherin was dressed in silky black robes with the Slytherin Crest and a light silvery edge to his robes, his platinum-coloured hair as sharp-looking and perfect as ever.

"I can't believe I got an invite from a fourth year, can you Harry?" asked Colin, still as stunned in the presence of his favourite snapshot as ever; though Susan had advised against such things on the night, which he gladly obeyed.

"You deserve it," Harry replied, before his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure on the stairs; gently nudging them aside, he added, "Excuse me everyone, but my dance card is filled tonight."

"Who's the lucky one?" asked Ginny; in truth, very few had known that Harry and Hermione were going together, but Ginny was one of those few; she also knew that she had an obligation to play along with the façade, having being one of the few Neville had sworn to silence.

"Her," Harry replied, watching as the crowd of students parted like the Red Sea, revealing a young beauty in a very beautiful crimson and golden-colured gown, the two colours seemingly weaving together to form an image of perfection; what made it better were the ribbons that adorned the girl's neck and ran along the length of the dress, each of the colours symbolising one of the four houses: gold, emerald, blue and brown, a final ribbon tied around her neck with the tri-Crest worn as a brooch that made her look perfect.

Her hair was also different; rather than its usual messy look, it was brushed to a smoothness that even clear glass couldn't manage and flowed around her head like a watery apparition, a light dusting of make-up under her cheeks and, when she smiled, she knocked everyone for six as, instead of the large teeth she had bore, Hermione now smiled at Harry with an image of the perfect girl.

"Lucky bastard," Neville whispered in Harry's ear, before, with a nudge from Draco, Harry walked forwards and stopped before Hermione, his mouth trying – and failing – to form anything that matched the English language.

Finally, he breathed out, "Hermione Granger, you have made me feel really special tonight," he held out his arm as Remus had instructed him, slightly ashamed that Remus had to be _away on business_ tonight: Harry would make sure an image of this was passed onto his mentors. When Hermione linked her arm with his, Harry added, "Thank you for keeping this secret: you look beautiful."

"As do you, my Lord Gryffindor," smiled Hermione, almost cuddling into Harry's side as they walked back towards the throng of students. "And, later, there's something else I need to say to you, if you can manage the time."

"Hermione," Harry replied, as Minerva made an appearance in the hall, "For you, I have all the time in the world."

Then Professor McGonagall's voice called, "Champions over here, please!"

Hermione seemed to readjust her back hair, beaming; she had known that Harry would need a real impression made if he wanted to remember this night: when she felt his hand touch her hair, Hermione looked up at him.

"Don't," he whispered, "You look like a gem already Mione: tonight, you're mine and I'm yours: don't change a thing."

With a slightly embarrassed smile, Hermione placed her hand with her other arm around Harry's and walked forward, the chattering crowd parting to let them through. Professor McGonagall, who was wearing dress robes of red tartan and had arranged a rather ugly wreath of thistles around the brim other hat, told them to wait on one side of the doors while everyone else went inside; they were to enter the Great Hall in procession when the rest of the students had sat down. Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies stationed themselves nearest the doors; Davies looked so stunned by his good fortune in having Fleur for a partner that he could hardly take his eyes off her. Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang were close to Harry too, but, at the sight of the young Lord and his date, all three considered themselves beaten.

When Harry looked to see who had escorted the fourth champion, Viktor Krum, Harry saw that it was a young Slytherin girl who he remembered was named Millicent Bulstrode: Hermione had told Harry that Krum was a famous Quidditch star and, as they looked to Krum and Millicent, Hermione could only smile as she whispered, "Looks like I'm not the only one who gets my Prince tonight."

Once everyone else was settled in the Hall, Professor McGonagall told the champions and their partners to get in line in pairs and to follow her. They did so, and everyone in the Great Hall applauded as they entered and started walking up toward a large round table at the top of the Hall, where the judges were sitting. The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.

Harry had to admit that, as the whole school caught sight of him and Hermione, both of them dressed to impress and looking like a pair of very contented students, he felt like the luckiest man in the world: looking to the judge's table, Harry immediately caught sight of Severus, Filius and Pomona, as well as, to his surprise, Poppy – who was sat on Severus' right – and there, in the centre, was headmaster Dumbledore.

Remembering their last encounter, Harry quickly averted his gaze as he and Hermione stopped with the other champions, the whole school still in awe at the Famous Foursome that had just walked into their world, the enchanted Hogwarts ceiling, with its light flurry of snow and truly spectacular designs, making Harry think he had just walked into paradise. When he combined that with the fact that Hermione was here in his arms, looking like a real princess of the stars and magic, he _knew_ that it was paradise.

Dumbledore smiled happily as the champions approached the top table, but Karkaroff wore an expression remarkably like most of the other boys as he watched Krum and Millicent draw nearer. Ludo Bagman, tonight in robes of bright purple with large yellow stars, was clapping as enthusiastically as any of the students; and Madame Maxime, who had changed her usual uniform of black satin for a flowing gown of lavender silk, was applauding them politely. But Mr. Crouch, Harry suddenly realized, was not there. The fifth seat at the table was occupied by a red-head who Hermione whispered was Percy Weasley, the third-eldest of the Weasley children.

When the champions and their partners reached the table, Percy drew out the empty chair beside him, staring pointedly at Harry. Harry took the hint and sat down next to Percy, who was wearing brand-new, navy-blue dress robes and an expression of such smugness that Harry thought it ought to be fined.

"I've been promoted," Percy said before Harry could even ask, and from his tone, he might have been announcing his election as supreme ruler of the universe. "I'm now Mr. Crouch's personal assistant, and I'm here representing him."

"Why didn't he come?" Harry asked.

"I'm afraid to say Mr. Crouch isn't well, not well at all. Hasn't been right since the World Cup. Hardly surprising - overwork. He's not as young as he was - though still quite brilliant, of course, the mind remains as great as it ever was. But the World Cup was a fiasco for the whole Ministry, and then, Mr. Crouch suffered a huge personal shock with the misbehaviour of that house-elf of his, Blinky, or whatever she was called. Naturally, he dismissed her immediately afterward, but - well, as I say, he's getting on, he needs looking after, and I think he's found a definite drop in his home comforts since she left. And then we had the tournament to arrange, and the aftermath of the Cup to deal with - that revolting Skeeter woman buzzing around - no, poor man, he's having a well earned, quiet Christmas. I'm just glad he knew he had someone he could rely upon to take his place."

Hermione wanted very much to ask whether Mr. Crouch had stopped calling Percy "Weatherby" yet, but resisted the temptation.

There was no food as yet on the glittering golden plates, but small menus were lying in front of each of them. Harry picked his up uncertainly and looked around - there were no waiters. Dumbledore, however, looked carefully down at his own menu, then said very clearly to his plate, "Pork chops!" And pork chops appeared. Getting the idea, the rest of the table placed their orders with their plates too.

If Hermione hadn't been sat at his side, Harry was sure he would have been bored into ultimate submission by Percy Weasley's drivel: everything was _Mr Crouch_ this or _Mr Crouch _that; in fact, it was so endless that, by the time the feast was done and the champions were asked to lead the dancing, he practically flew out of his chair, Hermione giving a half-hearted thanks to Percy before joining Harry on the dance floor.

Harry had been hoping he wouldn't embarrass himself or Hermione and, thanks to her gentle touch on his waist and her sparkling brown eyes looking into his seemingly ever-glowing emerald eyes, he knew that wouldn't happen; no sooner had the first tone of music sounded than Harry and Hermione were moving around the floor, gracefully stepping, dipping, twirling and moving in tune with each other's hope that they could enjoy this night. At one point, Harry actually twirled Hermione round and then, with one arm, dipped her down, so that her eyes looked into his, the Crest on his right arm shining in the light.

When the dance was done, Harry gently kissed Hermione's hand, having seen most of the Durmstrang students do likewise, before he led her off to a side table and sat down, most of the hall still watching them as if trying to believe that this Golden Couple really _were_ Harry and Hermione. Sitting at the edge, as far away from the glares as he could, Harry caught the eye of Minerva McGonagall, before she seemed to glance at Severus Snape as if waiting on something; shaking his head, Harry looked to Hermione.

"Mione," he whispered, using her nickname to her delight, "I just want to thank you for tonight: you have been a real gem and I know that I was right when I asked you to the Ball."

"I agree with you there," Hermione replied, before she too caught McGonagall's feverish stares; shaking her head, she remarked, "So _that's_ what they meant!"

"What?" asked Harry, looking back to McGonagall, "Do you know what's wrong?"

"Yes," Hermione explained, "Dobby and Winky told me about it: apparently, they think we'll be boyfriend and girlfriend before this Ball's end and, if not, then Minerva and Snape are going to dance."

She turned to Harry, but was then slightly scared when she saw the sly, planning look in his eyes; looking back to her teachers, she whispered, "You wouldn't."

"I would," Harry replied, before he then added, "If only to save my Head of House."

He then stood up and, taking Hermione's hand, began to lead her back towards the dance floor as another slow ballad began to sound through the hall; as they began dancing, Harry began speaking.

"Hermione, you have always been there for me and I could ask for nothing more in a friend," he twisted her round and slowly took her hands, guiding her along the floor in a slow moving dance, "But the only thing I could ask for is that I listen to my heart."

He looked up, a smile adorning his lips: this _was_ the right moment; as they came close again, Harry spoke up, "Ever since I asked you, I've felt stirrings inside me that I didn't understand; a quick word with Remus explained everything and I now know what I want. Hermione, if there is anything I would take from this night, it would be you; your soft touch, gentle voice, loving heart and equal sense of magic: what I'm trying to say is…"

He stopped and looked into Hermione's eyes, just as an instrumental solo sounded, the almost charmed sound of a piano echoing through the hall as Harry took Hermione's hands and, looking into her eyes, asked, "Hermione Granger, will you do me the honour of allowing me to call you my girlfriend?"

It was like time had stood still, but not for long as Hermione looked upwards, seeing a powerful full moon overhead shining down on the wintry wonderland that had become the Great Hall, before, she looked up and answered, "Harry…I would…I'd…oh," she sighed and then, placing her hand behind his head, pulled him close to her, "Come here."

Harry felt his heart soar and every ounce of his magic react to the kiss he was experiencing, Hermione with her arms now snaking around his waist while he held her in his arms; when they parted, all Hermione could do was nod as she mouthed, "Yes."

That was when everything went to hell and it all started with a very familiar voice calling out to them, "Oh, isn't that sweet? It's the girlie and the freak now matched by their freakish behaviour; of course it's hard to tell which is which."

The music fell silent, everyone took a step back and, as Harry turned, he caught sight of Ron Weasley standing there, a big grin on his face as he asked, "So Potter, you actually thought you could fool everyone with your nice-guy act, did you? You and the useless mudblood freak here?"

"Mr Weasley, leave the hall immediately," McGonagall demanded, but Ron didn't move: he was enjoying this too much.

"Poor little Potter and his filthy whore; no better than your mother, you are Potter and look where she ended up: dead!"

"Watch what you say Weasley and choose your next words carefully," Harry hissed, his eyes no longer glowing with happiness, but pure, unadulterated magic. "You may have to eat them."

"What can a freak like you do?" asked Ron, before he nodded to Hermione and added, "You know…I'm curious: did she ever tell you how we met? Did she tell you about how she was a bossy-arrogant-know-it-all who couldn't care about anything except being Miss Goody-Two-Shoes? She's a nightmare Harry and it's a wonder she didn't have any friends: well, until we rescued her from the troll…and the Basilisk…and the Dementors and how does she repay you? By keeping you in the dark: you see…I know," his grin was feral as he added, "I know why you're so different: kind of helps when you're in the right place at the wrong time."

"Ron," hissed Hermione, "Shut up."

"No mudblood," laughed Ron, obviously savouring his victory, "I'll tell the truth about the freak," he then raised his voice and called, "Poor little Potter had his accident at the First Task and now can't remember anything and you, Hermione Granger, are taking full advantage of it. Turning him away from me and Gryffindor and making him out to be some big hero when all he really is would be some weird freak with some freak's magic."

"Weasley," Snape snapped, "Shut your mouth this instant: this is not for you to know."

"Then Potter shouldn't have told the Squib about it," Ron laughed, "Because he has so little brains that he couldn't think to craft a silencing ward when he told our friends. Get your jollies from it did you Longbottom?"

"Silence!" roared Harry, now walking to the centre of the room, "You know nothing Weasley, you _are _nothing, but, on the other hand," he turned to the room, "He's also right: I can't remember anything, but, you know what? I DON'T WANT TO! I have had the best month of my life and learned a whole new lease on life: so, yeah, it's true, I suffered a massive mental block and now my memories from the past four years at Hogwarts are gone, which is also why I don't spend my nights in Gryffindor Tower. So, whatever plans you had to turn this to your advantage may as well be failures because I'm not for sale and," he rounded on Ron, his eyes blazing, "Thanks to _you_, I don't have to hide…but you should be running."

"Why?" asked Ron, "What can you say that'll change this?"

"How about…" Harry began, aware of his loyal pet's presence, the dog obviously drawn by his rage. "Sic him!"

Ron and the whole hall gasped as Snuffles charged into the hall, his eyes wide with fury and his jaws parted, before, as if frozen on the spot, Ron simply fell down and was pinned by the dog's jaws clamped around his leg, Harry now pointing his wand at Ron's head.

"Thank you Weasley," he growled, "Because you've just ruined the best night of my life, which is why I'm not sorry for doing this," aiming his wand at Ron's forehead, Harry commanded, "_Boltuncendius!_"

There was a powerful burst of green light, darker than the AK, but, when it fell, Ron was screaming, smoke trailing from his forehead, his eyes covered by a severe burn mark that trailed right round towards his red hair.

With that done, Harry turned and, looking at Hermione, shook his head, before he whispered, "Don't follow unless you _really_ love me."

Then, with Snuffles at his heels, Harry walked out of the Great Hall, the three schools silent, Ron still moaning with pain, unaware that, as a few select witches and wizards followed Harry out, there was a Head of House now baying for his blood.

'Merlin help the prat when Sirius and Remus found out,' thought Severus, unaware of the fact that one of the two _did_ know.

_**WhoAmI?**_

As the students returned to their dorms, Hermione had sent those who had followed Harry away, a part of her filled with rage and a thirst for vengeance as she stood outside the Pride's Chamber, aware of the pain and betrayal that Harry was feeling. How dare that Weasel-brained pile of shit insinuate she didn't love him for him?

"Thunderbolt," she whispered, watching as the lions parted; Hermione stepped inside and watched as Harry's form disappeared up the stairs, his body still tense, Snuffles at the foot of the stairs, the dog looking to Hermione with a sense of worry and an equal thirst for revenge.

"Leave it," she whispered to the dog, "Let me calm him down then you can introduce yourself: go to Minerva and tell her I'm still here."

When Snuffles left, Hermione ascended the stairs and opened the door to the Master Chamber, her eyes filling with tears as she saw Harry face down on the bed, his body shaking, the very room filling with a cold breeze as his magic reacted to him.

Approaching his side, Hermione sat down next to him, her hand reaching out to snake its way through his hairline; however, no sooner had she reached out than Harry grabbed her hand with the same reflexive movements that he had used on Ron during their _first_ encounter in Gryffindor Tower. Looking to her, Harry asked, "Yes…or…no?"

"Yes," Hermione answered, "I do love you Harry and I always will: I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about our past, but I feared what you'd do if you thought I abandoned you. Harry James Potter, Lord of Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin, I love you with all my heart and, after tonight, I still will and always be there for you. When you were hurt, I feared for your life while Weasley gave it all _he'll be fine_; he didn't check on you and then, when you woke up and couldn't remember a thing, it struck me deep. Harry, the real villain here is Ron and I always wanted to tell you to leave him, but he'd claimed you from the word go; but now, I still love you and I promise you that I will never lie to you: I'll tell you everything you want to know and love you for the rest of my life, I swear it."

Harry, looking to her, saw her tears, actually_ felt_ her fears and, as he looked at her eyes, seeing her in so much pain brought back the protectiveness feelings from before.

"Mione," he whispered, then held out his arms; she drew herself into them and lay her head on his chest, his hand now gently running through her hair, "My Hermione."

"My Harry," she replied, still sobbing, "I'm so sorry."

"Just," Harry insisted, "Do me one thing."

"Name it…my love."

Harry looked down at her, the late hours of Christmas Day slowly becoming the early hours of Boxing Day as he told her;

"Tell me everything and this time, make it the truth!"

Hermione started talking, her body and eyes never leaving Harry as she described, in full detail, the _real_ four years at Hogwarts, telling Harry everything they had done together, but also telling him that, through it all, him saving her had sealed the deal. She really did love him and always would; when she had finished, she asked, "Can you forgive me?"

"I can," Harry replied, "Because remember," he then smiled and gently tapped his forehead, "I can't remember anything about it: even your telling me what happened doesn't ring a bell. As far as I'm concerned, this is me: curled up in bed with my girlfriend as Lord of three Houses and Champion of Hogwarts; Hermione Granger, I do forgive you and I do love you; you are the only one for me and now, if you'll indulge me, I have one final request before we go to sleep."

"What's that?" asked Hermione, sleepily stroking the fabric of Harry's shirt.

"Kiss me," he told her, "My Mione."

She was more than willing to oblige with that request…

_**Chapter 7 and the truth is out: Harry has now revealed the truth behind his change in attitude, but he still wishes to remain with Hermione and she with him; can they continue their relationship as they have done so far or will they be torn by deceptions?**_

_**Plus, what will Harry do when Hermione tells him who Snuffles really is?**_

_**And, will there be any consequences for either Dead Man Walking Weasley or for Harry following the Yule Ball?**_

_**Keep Reading to Find Out…**_

_**Next Chapter: The Yule Ball's aftermath and why is Harry so upset? Plus, it seems that his little four-house federation has some new members: what will they do to help their champion? Also, Cedric decides to repay Harry's **_**forgotten**_** help from the First Task; also, the moment you've all been waiting for: Sirius reveals himself and it seems that Ron has complained to Mummy: that should be interesting…**_

_**Following Chapter: **__**As the Second Task nears, Harry meets with Sirius and makes a plan to clear his name; plus, Hermione has a request for Minerva and Remus regarding Harry's summer arrangements and it seems that even though Harry has no memory of the past four years, he is still determined to descend into darkness…**_

_**Please Read and Review…**_

_**OC SPELLS:**_

_**Boltuncendius**__**: **_**The Firebrand Hex: Leaves a permanent burn wound upon a being's skin that can only be healed by the caster;**


	9. 8: Questions And Answers

Who Am I? A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Ginny

Draco/Astoria

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

_**Review Answers:**_

_**100 REVIEWS: THANKS TO EVERYONE!**_

_**Dinomus: There may be the odd mention as the Slytherins are going to ally themselves with Harry;**_

_**Ijedi: You'll have to wait and see;**_

_**Wonderbee31: She's not going to show up…at least, not yet;**_

_**Redwoodx: Such noble ideas, but I have something much more malicious in mind; also, Dumbledore's part in this is revealed with the 2**__**nd**__** task;**_

_**Agnar: well, Ron never learns and, while he's shooting his mouth off, Harry's trying his hardest to ignore the pillock; it's a classic method, but there's a line and Ron's mouth and ego made him cross that line;**_

_**MariusDarkwolf: Thanks; I enjoyed writing the Ball scene and using some quotes from GOF to help guide it along;**_

"_Can you forgive me?"_

"_I can," Harry replied, "Because remember," he then smiled and gently tapped his forehead, "I can't remember anything about it: even your telling me what happened doesn't ring a bell. As far as I'm concerned, this is me: curled up in bed with my girlfriend as Lord of three Houses and Champion of Hogwarts; Hermione Granger, I do forgive you and I do love you; you are the only one for me and now, if you'll indulge me, I have one final request before we go to sleep."_

"_What's that?" asked Hermione, sleepily stroking the fabric of Harry's shirt._

"_Kiss me," he told her, "My Mione."_

_She was more than willing to oblige with that request…_

Chapter 8: Questions And Answers

Following the rather disastrous events at the Yule Ball, Harry and Hermione slept within each other's embrace until late Boxing Day morning, before the young Lord woke up first, his eyes filled with a hardship and a sense of confusion. Now that the truth had been revealed and his events of the past four years explained, Harry didn't know what to believe and what he could ignore any longer; he knew that he could trust Hermione and that she really, truly and fully loved him, but beyond that, Harry couldn't tell what was truth and what was lies.

Slowly climbing out of bed, Harry dressed in a warm, comfortable set of robes before he turned, looked at the still-sleeping Hermione and, with a sad smile, left the Chamber, unaware of the fact that his loyal pet wasn't waiting for him, nor was he anywhere near the Chamber.

Making his way down through the school, Harry looked around and tried to recall what Hermione had told him: a troll in their first year followed by a forbidden corridor; a second floor bathroom in their second year and a flight from the worst kind of demons in their third year. The more he tried to think about it, the more that Harry found his head hurting, his eyes dampening as he felt tears of betrayal and hatred settle in. Hermione had said that his mind had blocked out what had happened as some kind of final defence, but the only thing he could wonder was: why? What was so difficult about the last four years that he would be blacked out from remembering any of it?

Reaching the Entrance Hall, Harry wanted to go into the Great Hall and enjoy a late breakfast; however, he shook his head and turned away from the Great Hall, his footsteps now softening as he walked out of the main doors, the snow beneath his feet providing a silence to his steps as well as a calming, almost wondrous environment all around Hogwarts. The frost-covered grounds as well as the snow-tipped trees of the Forbidden Forest made Harry feel at peace with himself, despite the questions that burned away inside him: he no longer had to hide the fact he was not the same Harry that they all knew, nor did he have to pretend to recall certain facts when there was nothing he could truly recall save for the pain and humiliation at the hands of his relatives.

The only downside to this good event was who had forced Harry to reveal this to the schools: Ronald _Dead Man Walking_ Weasley and his egotistical, jealous sense of right and wrong. Hermione had explained about how she had become their friends and about how the red-haired git had insulted her to put her in that danger. She explained about how Weasley had turned on Harry just because he had emerged as the fourth champion and, above all that, how the prat had managed to exile Harry from his friendship simply because he was a Parseltongue, a wizard who could talk to snakes.

Reaching the edge of the grounds, Harry looked into the forest, his eyes trying to pierce the enveloping darkness that had filled the scene before him, his mind trying to choose between fight and flight. If he ran, then there would be no reason for anyone to accuse him of treachery or being a two-faced liar; if he stayed, he would be protecting Hermione from those who would choose to oppose him.

If he ran, he could start anew and forsake everything else: both the Tournament and the damned Weasley whiner be damned to levels deeper than the seventh circle of hell; if he stayed, he would be able to emerge as a _true_ champion and be able to silence the nay-sayers like Weasley and the small rabble that had chosen to jump on the _Harry Potter is a cheat_ bandwagon.

As he was about to choose, however, a new, kind voice spoke from behind him, "If you run pup, she'll move heaven and earth to find you."

Harry rounded in shock, his hand going for his wand as he saw a stranger standing opposite him: a middle-aged man dressed in a long black robe with shaggy dark hair; he had worn, almost lifeless eyes and a kind-hearted smile on his face; his hands were at his sides, as if to reveal that he was unarmed and, when he saw Harry with his own wand out, the man kneeled down, his hands still at his side.

"But if you stay," he then added, "Then I will stay too."

A word; a name came unbidden to Harry's lips as he asked;

"S-Sirius?"

_**WhoAmI?**_

Had Harry gone into the Great Hall, he would have laid eyes on a rather unusual sight indeed: a small gathering of students from all four Houses all gathered together, the head of this little federation taking formation in a truly unforeseen alliance.

Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy both looked at their small group before Neville asked, "So, now that you all know the truth about Harry, does it make you any less determined to help him?"

"Not for me," answered Ginny Weasley, "He may not recall the fact, but I _do_ owe Harry my life and I will never turn him away."

"Neither will we," Fred Weasley commented, "He's the son of our idol and that, in our eyes, makes him the leader of the new generation."

"Harry needs allies," agreed George Weasley, "And we have it in us to be those allies."

"Even though we're from different Houses," Susan Bones commented dryly, "We are united by what we see in Harry: the future and a leader we can follow anywhere."

"The only question is," Daphne Greengrass spoke up, "How can we help Harry?"

"We can help him by assisting him with the Tournament," Luna Lovegood pointed out, "Harry is alone save for Hermione and the assistance from the staff: with his revelations from last night, he needs to know that he still has friends in the school."

The small band of witches and wizards could only nod in agreement as a new voice then spoke up, "If Harry needs our help then we, as Hogwarts students, are obliged to see it through to the end."

"What makes you say that?" asked Neville, "Especially since you are one of his competition."

"Because I owe him," answered Cedric Diggory, "And I'll be damned if I allow a member of Hogwarts to suffer just because he's a little bit different; enduring what that boy has, it's my opinion, and Susan can agree when I say most of Hufflepuff also agree to this, that Harry may as well be awarded the Triwizard Cup right now."

"You're not wrong there Diggory," Neville agreed, "Dementors and everything else on top of this Tournament is far more than what the three champions will ever face; the only question is…how do we help him?"

"Well," Cedric suggested, "We can start with the next task: to hell with competition: he's the Hogwarts Champion as I am and so, for the first time, we work together. I'll go and find him and tell him what needs to be done in the next task and then we can get to work helping him succeed: if idiotic numbskulls like Ronald Weasley try to stop us, then he'll have a pretty pissed off seventh-year to deal with on top of you lot."

"Then it's official," Draco nodded, "This little band of brothers and sisters is formed to aid Harry; however, we need to make sure that we're all in agreement that it will continue even _after_ the Tournament."

"I can already vouch that I am," Neville explained, revealing the Tri-Crest on his shoulder, "I'm the vassal to House Potter, but as we can see, Harry doesn't just head his House."

"He's Lord Slytherin," Draco nodded.

"And Lord Gryffindor," added Ginny.

"Exactly," Cedric commented, "And that's reason enough for us to continue this: to aid the honour of the Hogwarts Founders by aiding their new Lord."

"And Luna, Susan and I can help keep an eye on Hermione," suggested Daphne, "Between us, we have the means to keep her safe for Harry's sake."

"Now all we need is a name," Draco spoke up.

Surprisingly, it was Ginny who suggested, "How about Vindicator: the alliance of those who believe in what is right."

"Catchy," Draco remarked.

"I agree," Neville agreed.

"So do we," chorused the twins.

"Then it's official," Cedric nodded, holding his hand in the centre of their gathering, "Ladies and gentlemen; I give you The Vindicators!"

Everyone put their hands in with Cedric, forming an alliance the likes of which had not been seen within Hogwarts' walls in nearly 500 years.

The unity of all four Houses…

_**WhoAmI?**_

Sirius Black remained on his knees before Harry, his hands at his side and his face still smiling as he spoke up, "I didn't mean to surprise you pup, but I felt you needed friendly company and, given I've been at your side for nearly a month now, who better than man's best friend?"

"You?" asked Harry, "You were Snuffles?"

"I was," Sirius answered, "Though my real alias name is Padfoot: I used to come to see you and your parents when you were a baby, though, given you knew my name, I can wager that you already knew that."

"I…I did," Harry nodded, lowering his wand, "I also know about what Hermione and I did last year and that you are now on the run."

"Sad but true," sighed Black, "But now I'm here, watching over you and staying true to a promise made to a really old friend."

"So what will you do now?" asked Harry, his wand now at his side as he approached Sirius, the ex-Azkaban inmate realising Harry wasn't going to curse him as he stood back up.

"I'm going to stay with you and Hermione," Sirius explained, "After that, I'm going to return to my family's home where I hope you'll be happy to join me Harry. Now, I also want you to know that I am not angry with how you reacted to that red-headed asshole lately: he always did seem like a bit of a weakling and, between you and me, when I hurt him last year, I actually enjoyed it."

"As did I," Harry remarked, looking now to the school as he asked, "Is there anything I can do to help you Sirius? Maybe see about getting you see free and the truth about your actions revealed!"

"No," Sirius sighed, "Harry, I don't want you to throw yourself into harm's way this time: you did that enough when you and Hermione rescued me, not to mention when Remus and Minerva asked for me to come here in my Animagus form to protect you. Harry, listen to me very carefully," his tone was suddenly less than friendly as he locked eyes with his godson. "I know that there are certain things people would rather forget, but there's one thing you do need to remember and that is this: even when you may feel alone, you will always have those who love you…in here," he pressed a finger to Harry's heart as he added, "And always remember that no matter what you decide to do with your life, I will always remain your loyal friend and ally: I owe your Father more than he could ever afford in gold and now, by watching over his godson, I know I'm fulfilling that request."

"But what _do_ I choose Sirius?" asked Harry, turning away from the Forest and walking down towards the Lake, his godfather remaining in stride with him, "I now know the full truth about the past four years and Hermione has confessed that she loves me, but, even with all that, what is the path that I choose?"

"Whatever you want it to be," Sirius answered, watching as Harry stopped at the water's edge, the lake itself frozen over by winter's enchanting grip. "But whatever you choose, you should know that Hermione will be there to stand with you and so will I."

"As will I," added a third voice, making Harry and Sirius look up: the red-haired form of Ginny Weasley was walking down from the school, her eyes filled with rage and a sense of true loyalty as she stopped before the two of them. Looking to Sirius, the red-head explained, "Ron really can't keep a secret can he? It's a pleasure to meet you at last Mr Black."

"Thank you Ginny," Sirius grinned, partially thankful he didn't have to leave Harry even now.

"And as for you," she added, looking to Harry, the infamous temper of a red-head woman showing through, "If you even _dare_ to suggest leaving Hermione, then I have something that will change your mind."

Before Sirius could stop her, Ginny had stepped forwards and swiped Harry across the side of his head, the young Gryffindor stumbling slightly as he held a hand to his head.

"Ow," he cried, "Geez; what the bloody hell was that for?"

"Harry James Potter," Ginny scolded him, "You don't know how many other boys your age would kill to have what you do: you are Lord of Slytherin and Gryffindor as well as a very powerful wizard; on top of all that, you have a beautiful witch as your friend and, if what I've heard is right, your girlfriend and you just think that you'll turn your back on her? I will be the first to admit how lucky Hermione is to have you as her boyfriend, but also how lucky she is to have your trust. When I was younger, I always dreamed of having the Boy-Who-Lived as my boyfriend, but, when I see you and Hermione together, I know that it will always remain just that: a dream. Now, I am going to give you one chance Mr Potter: get your skinny ass back in that specially-allowed dorm of yours and take Hermione in your arms and tell her that you will never abandon her or I'll cast so many jinxes on you that every day will be a living nightmare."

She had hoped for it to sound intimidating and, judging by how Sirius was trying his hardest not to laugh, as well as the paling look in Harry's eyes, she guessed it was working. Harry, meanwhile, was recalling everything that had happened since he'd woken up in the Hospital Wing: his fears and doubts about magic, his instinctive rush and self-appointed duty to protect Hermione and keep that warm, friendly smile on her face and then, not 24 hours beforehand, the image of that same girl in her Yule Ball gown, her dreams coming true as she found herself spending the night with her Prince Charming.

Looking to Sirius, Harry nodded once, "You'd better change back Sirius: I've got a girl to see."

Then, without saying another word, Harry raced up the path back to Hogwarts, unaware of Sirius laughing as he looked to Ginny, "Nice work there; you should be a Marauder with those actions," he commented, still laughing at the retreating form of his godson.

_**WhoAmI?**_

When Hermione heard the entrance to their dorm opening, she had half-expected her boyfriend to either holding a look of fury or elation on his face; the last thing she expected however was the look of horror and shame on Harry's face as he ran over to her and, without warning, threw his arms around her, sobbing into her robes as he held onto her.

"Hey," she whispered, stroking his hair as she always had when he was sad, "What's got you in such a state?"

"Hermione," wept Harry, "I'm…I'm sorry: I know I haven't been the best boyfriend and I know that my life before last month wasn't the best; I know that I am the lucky one to have a goddess like you in my arms and in my bed and I am so sorry if anything I ever said or did, including last night, scared you."

"No," Hermione replied, holding onto her boyfriend as she listened to him. "You did scare me when you were angry at me, but, given what you had to hear, I can't blame you."

"I promise," Harry gasped out, "That I will never again raise a hand to do anything bad to you Hermione: I love you with all my heart and promise that I will see this through to the end…if you'll still have me?" he added, pulling back from her embrace and looking into her eyes.

"Always," Hermione smiled, "You big idiot," she then gave him a gentle stroke along his cheek as she leaned in and kissed him on the lips, both of them melting into their moment before Hermione pulled away, her eyes on her boyfriend as she asked, "What made you come back?"

"I finally had some sense knocked into me," Harry remarked, "And I've got the bump to prove it: besides, it's my duty to see this thing to the end, and if I don't do it, then who will?"

"I will," Hermione replied, giving him another gentle kiss.

"It will be dangerous," Harry countered, looking into her eyes.

"Danger?" scoffed Hermione, "I laugh in the face of danger; hahahaha!"

Harry just smiled at her as he held her in his arms, his heart feeling lighter and his mind at ease: she was his Hermione and he was her Harry; they would work together to accomplish whatever tasks the Triwizard Tournament threw at them.

_**WhoAmI?**_

At dinner that evening, Harry and Hermione walked into the Great Hall arm-in-arm, the hall falling silent as Harry slowly walked across to the Gryffindor table, watched by nearly every pair of eyes. As he went to sit down, however, a familiar voice called from the High Table, "Lord Potter, would you please remain standing?"

Looking to the direction of the teachers, Harry saw that Minerva McGonagall was walking towards him, a battered old hat in her hands; when she reached the Gryffindors, Minerva explained, "Even though you have represented Gryffindor in the Tournament, your unique circumstances require that you be sorted properly. Now, if you wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not Minerva," Harry replied, placing the old hat on his head, the image of Hermione being the last thing he saw before the world went dark.

"Ahh," a wizened voice spoke in his ear, "So it is Lord Potter, back from the land of the lost and ready to be sorted: well, my lord, you have one of two choices and both of those are your Lordships."

"Where do I belong?" countered Harry, surprising the hat: the young lord hadn't asked that beforehand and now, as Harry remained standing in front of all the students, he seemed ready to accept the hat's first decision.

"Well," replied the ancient hat, "The last time you sat under me, I told you that you would do well in Slytherin and that it would lead you to greatness; however, now I see that you have a relationship with Miss Granger, I am tempted to place you back in Gryffindor."

"Then don't," Harry insisted, "If I am to do well in Slytherin, then place me in Slytherin."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Harry replied, "Call it instinct or whatever you wish, but I have this feeling that, no matter where I go, even Hermione will remain safe."

"Then," the hat decided, "Lord Potter…enjoy…SLYTHERIN!"

"What?" Cried Hermione, the majority of the Great Hall sharing her shock as the familiar emerald trim now adorned Harry's robe, the Gryffindor badge on his robe finally changing to an emerald serpent, though the Tri-Crest remained on his shoulder, adorned in gold.

Removing the hat from his head, Harry was about to join his new housemates when he stopped and turned back, looking not to Hermione, but to Neville; approaching the vassal, Harry commanded, "Neville Longbottom, as vassal to Lord Potter I charge you with the protection of my girlfriend Hermione Granger and invite you to the Chamber of Pride after dinner."

"I accept the commands of Lord Potter," Neville replied, watching as Harry then handed him a folded parchment.

"Read it, memorise it and then destroy it: pass the note only to those who are my allies and this time, remember to keep it a secret, understand?"

"Yes milord," Neville answered, knowing he deserved that jibe about secrecy: if it hadn't been for his need to gather allies for his lord and future lady, then Ronald Weasley wouldn't have been able to blurt out Harry's secret to the school.

Satisfied with Neville's promise, Harry turned and walked over to the Slytherin Table, Draco Malfoy sliding down with the others as Harry took his seat, the Great Hall still stunned at the placing of the Golden Boy with his arch-enemy.

"Lord Potter," Draco spoke up, "We are honoured to have you among our House: rest assured that none of us shall dare oppose or insult Miss Granger while you are within our walls."

"Thank you Heir Malfoy," Harry remarked, "But you need not worry for I am going to continue living in my personal quarters and representing Slytherin; I thank you for your honesty."

With that information passed around, Harry was now able to return his attention to his dinner; pouring his heart out to Hermione had left him with quite the appetite.

However, both the appetite and his relaxed sense of calmness and apathy both soon vanished with the arrival of the evening mail: up above the heads of the students, the familiar swooping owls flew down to their masters and mistresses and, among them, Harry caught sight of Hedwig flying towards him, along with a rather splendid looking owl that looked like it belonged to some proud family.

The sight of the red envelope that was being held by this owl, however, had Harry's emotions becoming as unpredictable as the weather: Hermione had told him about booby-trapped letters and other such evil inventions by witches and wizards, but she had also told him about the dreaded Howlers and, at the sight of the red-letter, written with what obviously must have been a rapid succession, Harry decided that it would be better to get it over with.

Opening the letter, he didn't even tremble as the envelope began to take the shape of a mouth, a high-pitched screeching coming from the envelope as it spoke to him.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER: HOW DARE YOU REPAY ALL OUR KINDNESS BY INJURING MY SON: I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED TO THINK THAT I EVER BOTHERED TO HELP SOMEONE LIKE YOU! AND FOR IT TO BE UNPROVOKED AND BECAUSE OF SOME PRACTICE FLING WITH A DAMNED MUDBLOOD: YOUR PARENTS WOULD BE DISGUSTED."

As the letter's rant continued, Harry only had to look over to the Gryffindors to know who was responsible for the letter: Ronald _Dead Man Walking_ Weasley, now sporting a rather 'attractive' scar across his left eye and most of his hair, was looking like Christmas had come early, his smirk making Harry's blood boil.

Harry wanted to rip several new holes into the bastard for what he had done; unfortunately, the female voice from the Howler wasn't done yet:

"IF YOU DON'T MAKE SURE THAT THE INJURED PARTY GETS THE RIGHT KIND OF TREATMENT FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HIM, I WILL SEE TO IT THAT YOU ARE BROUGHT BEFORE THE WIZENGAMOT ON CRIMES AGAINST PUREBLOODS. UNTIL THEN, DON'T YOU EVER THINK OF SPEAKING TO ANY MEMBER OF MY FAMILY AND, IF YOU TRULY WISH MY FORGIVENESS, THEN FIND A REAL GIRLFRIEND AND LEAVE THE MUDBLOOD WHERE SHE BELONGS!"

The silence in the hall was almost deathly: nobody laughed, nobody wanted to argue against the Howler and no-one wanted to say anything against Harry; instead, over on each of the tables, the newly crowned members of the Vindicators noticed that Harry had suddenly grown very still, an ominous rumble of thunder sounding over their heads. As the Howler tore itself into shreds, Harry calmly stood up, walked to the centre of the hall and then, before anyone could stop him, he turned to the Gryffindors and began laughing, his tone cruel and demonic.

"So that's your plan of revenge?" he asked, looking to Ron, "Go running to Mummy and hope she'll kiss Weasel's boo-boos better? You think that, just because I can't remember anything means you can take full advantage of it? And," his voice was sharp as he asked, "What did she mean by a practice fling?"

The whole hall suddenly fell silent while, above their heads, the Hogwarts ceiling began to shift and mould, as if reacting to the great power of its lord, before an image appeared in the ceiling, a clear memory of what Harry supposed was what the red-haired retard meant.

_Memory Start_

_When Harry and Hermione entered the Great Hall that evening, they were escorted by Remus and Minerva, the mere sight of Harry suddenly making the whole hall go silent, most of the younger Gryffindors shivering with fear and angst as they recalled the show of magic from earlier. Keeping his head high and his thoughts only on his first night in a new room and new home, Harry walked over to the Gryffindors, where a minute had barely passed before a familiar voice called out to them, "Harry, Hermione: I want to apologise."_

_Standing firm, Harry watched as Ron walked over to them, albeit after jamming another mouthful of food into his black hole of a mouth; stopping before them, Harry watched as Ron held out his hand, his right hand heavily bandaged after the burns and breaks from earlier._

_"Why should I accept your apology?" asked Harry, "You who sought to turn Gryffindor against me as well as throwing yourself on the Harry is a cheat bandwagon."_

_"Well," Ron laughed, "I had time to think about it and, as strange as it seems, I was just wanting to congratulate you: Hermione is a nice girl and, well, I was wondering if you could help me find a practice girlfriend, albeit someone a little less…well, less like Hermione: especially in the looks department."_

_From his immediate left, Harry heard a round-faced boy mumble, "He never learns does he?"_

_"Not really Neville," Hermione answered, already taking refuge as she saw the immediate danger._

_Harry, however, had already stood stock still, his hands now fists, his eyes closed as he rotated his neck and asked, "Would you like to say that again Mr Weasel? I didn't quite hear you."_

_"Oh," Ron replied, his denseness showing, "Okay; I was wondering if you could find me a practice girlfriend like Hermione, but less ugly."_

_"Sure," Harry replied, before he stepped past Ron and added, "Let me show you where to find her."_

_He then rounded on Ron, his fist colliding with the boy's teeth, a fountain of blood flying from the idiot's face as Harry then pushed all his magic into his rage, his wallop of an impact sending Ronald Weasley flying through the window of the Great Hall, which, unfortunately, was closed, meaning that the prat was flying through a wall of coloured glass and out into the evening sky._

_Memory End_

As the image faded, Harry looked skywards: he didn't really know how that had happened, but he was glad it did; looking to Ron, Harry's voice was similar to that inevitable meeting as he hissed, "My Hermione is no practice fling and you are nothing but an arrogant jealous bastard who, as far as I'm concerned, will end up in a worse place than hell if you don't learn your lesson. And, if dear Mummy thinks she can intimidate a Triple-Recognised Lord like myself, not to mention the Lord of Gryffindor and Slytherin, then please Weasel, send her another letter and tell her I am willing to accept any challenge. You, in the mean time, are unfit to call yourself a member of Gryffindor and, as Lord and Master of that House, I _BANISH_ you from Gryffindor forever! Professor McGonagall, looks like we need another Sorting."

"Of course Lord Potter," Minerva gasped, slightly frightened as to what she had just witnessed: seeing it in person had been bad enough, but this?

Placing the hat on Ron's head, much to the boy's pleas of otherwise, the hat screamed Ron's fate, "SLYTHERIN!"

There was an even greater silence around the hall and, at the same time, there was also a display of the largest amount of projectile vomit in the world, a pair of red-heads taking advantage of this as they thought on a new pranking weapon.

Harry, meanwhile, walked back to Draco and, with an icy smile that would have made demons flee his presence, the Lord of Snakes hissed, "I declare open season: make sure that git suffers, understand?"

The fourth-year Slytherins all saluted their lord's request while Harry, watching as the emerald trim now covered Ron's robe, looked again to Hermione as he added the last point. "By the way Weasel, for the record: I will _never_ abandon Hermione, even if she is a Gryffindor, she is also my girlfriend and your better in every aspect. Pull another stunt like that again and the only healing treatment that will save you from more pain is a fucking funeral director!"

A flash of lightning crossed the ceiling as Ron grudgingly, and very unwillingly, made his way to the Slytherin Table, his thoughts on vengeance only drowned out by his never-ending appetite.

Which meant he didn't notice the looks of predatory hunger on the faces of the Slytherins…and not just the fourth-years:

One of their own had been harmed; their Lord had been insulted and their Champion's Lady had been made to feel like a useless waste of space:

Ron Weasley would be the first Weasley in Slytherin;

And he would also be first on their list…

_**Chapter 8 and payback, it seems, is a bitch: Ron is now a Slytherin and you'd think he's safe: I DON'T THINK SO!**_

_**Can Harry now focus on the second task without any further intrusions from greedy ass-clowns and stupid parents?**_

_**Also, can the Vindicators keep their promise to stand with their leader and will Sirius be the first wizard to be Vindicated?**_

_**Keep Reading to Find Out…**_

_**Next Chapter: Following the Christmas Holiday surprises, Harry has another meeting with Ragnok and discovers a weapon from the past that Hermione didn't tell him: plus, as the Second Task nears, Harry meets with Sirius and makes a plan to clear his name; plus, Hermione has a request for Minerva and Remus regarding Harry's summer arrangements and it seems that even though Harry has no memory of the past four years, he is still determined to descend into darkness…**_

_**Following Chapter: **__**The Second Task is here and Harry is prepared, but a surprise twist seems to drive him to near-complete descent into darkness; also, it seems that a certain red-headed retard just can't get the message and Harry has a favour to ask of the goblin nation: it's purpose – REVENGE! And, to top it all off, Harry makes a decision that makes Hermione nervous and changes the whole aspect of the HP universe;**_

_**Please Read and Review…**_

_**Also: Please check out my profile for **__**a poll on what will soon be my newest H/Hr story as well as a XOver…**_


	10. 9: The Slytherin Champion

Who Am I? A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

**With regards to my last chapter, I do not own The Lion King or any of its associated characters; all copyright goes to Walt Disney**

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Ginny

Draco/Luna

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

_**Review Answers:**_

_**Redwoodx: That could have worked, I agree with you there and I guess it was 'punishing' Slytherins by putting Dead Man Walking with them, but it was just too good to pass the opportunity;**_

_**Zamia: It was fun writing out that scene and the use of the famous film quotes afterwards was also a laugh;**_

_**Coolcatwu: I appreciate the compliment, but there are several out there better than mine;**_

_**Wonderbee31: A nice idea and something I may explore for the end of the GOF section of the story;**_

_**Slytherin66: Believe me friend, his suffering has yet to begin; a nice little point about the Weasleys, but I have a much more sinister punishment for them;**_

_**Robst: nice to hear from my favourite Harry/Hermione writer – sorry to everyone else – and I guess there should have been: I'll put it at the top of this chapter with my main disclaimer;**_

_**Felawred: No, there will soon be some Percy bashing and yeah, it was in the lion king: just seemed right for the moment;**_

_**Midnight Angels: His schemes, which will all come back to bite him on the behind, will be looked in on for the Second and Third Tasks as well as a few mentions afterwards;**_

_**MariusDarkwolf: I know it may sound evil, but I don't think ANYONE gets tired of punishing Ron and Molly in a decent Harry/Hermione story; both the Sirius and Hermione parts were fun to write;**_

**Oh, and following what I wrote in the Yule Ball, I've changed one of my pairings: the key pairings are still the same, but this is now also a Draco/Luna story; it's a pairing that I wouldn't mind exploring and so, there we go;**

"_Well," replied the ancient hat, "The last time you sat under me, I told you that you would do well in Slytherin and that it would lead you to greatness; however, now I see that you have a relationship with Miss Granger, I am tempted to place you back in Gryffindor."_

"_Then don't," Harry insisted, "If I am to do well in Slytherin, then place me in Slytherin."_

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Yes," Harry replied, "Call it instinct or whatever you wish, but I have this feeling that, no matter where I go, even Hermione will remain safe."_

"_Then," the hat decided, "Lord Potter…enjoy…SLYTHERIN!"_

Chapter 9: The Slytherin Champion

Safely back in the Chamber, Hermione at his side, Harry felt his heart soar with wonder as to what had just occurred, a sense of humility and justice being dealt to the guilty party following his stunt with the Howler. Ron had thought himself untouchable because he was a Gryffindor and a son of a pureblood family, all the while not realising that he had just dug himself a grave that was far deeper than the pits of hell. When Harry had authorised open season for the Slytherins, it had been partially out of revenge while also hoping that, through his little red guinea pig, Harry would demonstrate to the three schools the risks with getting involved with situations that, in a nutshell, were none of their business.

Looking to Hermione, who was lying in his lap, her hand linked with his, Harry heaved a sigh before he suggested, "Go on then Hermione: say it; I know you want to."

"Okay," Hermione replied, looking up into her boyfriend's eyes, "You're…"

Then, to Harry's surprise, she leaned up, took his head in her hands and kissed him, her soft touch only amplified by the feeling of her tongue exploring his mouth, to which Harry was more than willing to open to her, giving her access to his tongue and throat as she seemed to try and remove his appendix with her kiss.

When they finally took a breath, Hermione planted another quick kiss on Harry's lips before she added, "A bloody genius! Using your Lordship like that to avenge my name and then to deal with the key student problem in our lives: you are a true Lord Harry Potter and I love you so much."

"Thank you Hermione," Harry replied, before he was aware of the portrait hole opening, his hands quickly rushing to smoothen down his robes; to his surprise, Harry saw that Neville had walked into the common room, accompanied by Draco, Ginny, Fred, George, Luna and, to Harry's true surprise, Cedric Diggory, his tournament rival as the champion of Hogwarts.

"I hope you can trust them Neville," Harry warned him, "Those were my exact words to you."

"You can trust us Lord Gryffindor," Cedric replied, before he pulled out his wand and added, "And I am willing to swear an oath to that end if it is your wish."

"As are we," chorused the other students, Draco and Ginny looking from Harry to Hermione as if wondering what had truly changed the newly sorted Slytherin.

"Just your promise to that is enough," Harry explained, nodding with thanks to his new allies, "But no oath is necessary as I have this sneaking suspicion that you're all on my side anyway."

"We are Harry," Ginny told him, "The other day when I…I…"

"Knocked some sense into me," laughed Harry, earning a look of confusion from Fred and George as they looked to their sister.

"Yeah," Ginny agreed, "That: anyway, before that happened, the seven of us as well as Daphne Greengrass and Susan Bones all agreed to form together and become an alliance of the Houses, all of whom are loyal to the Lord of Gryffindor and Slytherin."

"We call ourselves the Vindicators," Cedric explained, "Warrior wizards who band together in the names of those who believe in what is right and, as we were all told by your vassal here, what we believe to be right is that you shouldn't have to live with such a hell on your shoulders. I even turned down the fact that I am the recognised Hogwarts champion as we are both Hogwarts students and so, along with the Vindicators, I choose to help you."

"Thank you Cedric," Harry nodded, looking to the other Vindicators as he added, "If you are all true to your words, then you need to know something: I no longer accept myself as a light or dark wizard, but, if I were to mention my alignment, then it would be slowly descending into darkness. In my newfound life, there is a code and it goes like this: there is no good or evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it. If the Vindicators are true to their allegiance with me, then it will mean accepting this code and accepting my choice in the battles that are to come."

"So what does that mean for You-Know-Who?" asked Neville, looking almost frightened, as if he feared Harry's answer.

"I won't say that here," Harry answered him, "Now at least, my ambition is to build on my power and become the one true Champion in this tournament, sorry Cedric." Diggory just shrugged, watching as Harry then gestured to one of the doors behind him.

"If you'll follow me through to the Annexe, I'll show you everything that I have planned for the future and, hopefully, the reason that you won't have to fear what is to come." Harry looked at Neville as he said the last part, a part of him feeling that there would be conflicts with the Longbottom Heir if he learned the full story behind Harry's choice in allegiance. Watching each of the Vindicators venturing into the Annexe, Harry held out his arm and stopped Neville from walking through as he looked to the others.

Closing the door, Harry looked at Neville with a truly understanding look in his eyes, his stance showing that he was going to be speaking to Neville as his lord as well as his friend. "I won't ask what it is about the truth that scares you," Harry explained, "As long as you give me your word, Neville Longbottom, my vassal that you will not allow your personal problems to interfere with your duties to House Potter."

"I…I do promise that milord," Neville replied, slightly nervous as to what he would see in the other room, "But Harry, I would like to hear it from your lips: _he's_ a killer and a monster and so I'd like to know why you would think of joining him."

"Let's put it this way," Harry replied, "I know more about Voldemort than you may believe and, from what I know, I can safely say this: like I would have become had I not lost my memories, Voldemort, Tom Riddle is really just the end result of years of manipulation from a desperate puppet-master. I don't choose his side to become the monster that he is, granted, but I choose his side to take down the master manipulator. Anyway," he gestured to the Annexe door, "If you'll come through, you'll understand what I choose to do even more, but, if you choose not to do this Neville, then I will not hold it against you and will still keep you as my vassal."

"Thank you milord," Neville replied, bowing slightly to Harry, "I will try my best to understand."

_**WhoAmI?**_

One week after the shocking resort of both Harry and Ron, the whole school was up in arms as to what would happen from now on: with the Second Task nearing, Harry had retaken his old duty of research with renewed vim and vigour. By the time the whole school had come back from the Christmas Holidays, the news of the term was about and soon, every member of Hogwarts knew that Harry was very different and that he had no real desire to reform the Golden Trio any longer.

The only ones who would stand by him were the Vindicators and, as they acted from the shadows, ensuring that their leader was safe and well protected, as well as ensuring that no-one targeted Hermione or made any attempts to sabotage their relationship, the gathering of the Four were safe to continue their alliance, the only hints of an alliance being the fact that a Slytherin pureblood and a Gryffindor muggleborn were now boyfriend and girlfriend. While Hermione had her protector in Neville as well as her general bodyguard in her boyfriend, the whole school were on alert as to the dangers of pissing off Harry Potter; all they had to do was remember that Ronald _Dead Man Walking_ Weasley was now the first Weasley in Slytherin.

Unfortunately, all they also had to do was look at the Slytherin motive for revenge that the snakes had decided to perform upon the unfortunate red-headed git. Some of them did simple things like Stinging Hexes when no-one was looking or decided to hide his things and charm his meals – not that the human garbage disposal ever noticed – while some others were more creative.

Take Malfoy for example: during one Potions lesson at the start of the new term, he overheard Ron mumbling to himself about how he was going to make sure Granger knew her place. The images that Draco got in his head were enough to convince Malfoy what he was going to do was right: after the lesson, as Weasley was handing in another shambles of a potion, Malfoy cast a charm on the Dead Man's legs and made him fall into Harry and Hermione's perfectly completed potion; the downside of that was the title of the potion.

The Hyper-Allergen Poison, which, when applied to a victim, would force them to itch and scratch for days on end; the result of that was Weasley scratching feverishly until his body looked like he had gone ten rounds with a lion. Of course, the only reason that Harry and Hermione were even making that poison was because of Harry's seemingly advanced skill for potion-making that had resulted in Severus moving Harry up to more difficult tasks.

After the lesson, once they were safely looked over by both Severus and Madam Pomfrey, Harry and Hermione curled up in front of the Chamber of Pride's fireplace, Hermione soothingly massaging the red areas on her boyfriend's skin as he looked into the fireplace, his emerald eyes slightly darkened by the fact that they had nearly failed their potion because of Twinkle Toes Weasley.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, still soothing her boyfriend's tensions, "You do know that what Ron did was the fault of another, don't you?"

"I do," Harry replied, thankful for Hermione Granger's magic fingers working their way all over his body, "But I can't believe he'd be thick enough to try and insinuate some kind of revenge when there are Slytherins in the room. Do you know what the worst part of it is love?"

"What?" asked Hermione.

"When I have to listen to him moaning about it afterwards," Harry remarked, his hand making a gesture like he was tying a noose around his neck, "It's enough to drive a man to desperation: why can't that living trash can learn his lesson and leave me alone?"

"Because he craves it," Hermione replied, practically hissing her words as she continued rubbing Harry's red marks, "The attention: it consumes him and drives him to the edge of extreme measures; he can't accept that he's no longer sidekick material."

"If he doesn't figure it out soon," Harry remarked, his hands clenched into fists, "I'll give him a good side-kicking!"

Hermione laughed at the word play, her hands now pressing slightly into Harry's wounds, trying to take care of the tensions within her boyfriend's back, her eyes on the fireplace with him as she asked, "Aren't you going to do something about these attacks? I mean, the last one could have killed you if it had been a worse poison than what we were making."

"I'll speak to Draco," Harry sighed, a part of him hating it when his Hermione was right, "But other than that, I do need to speak to Cedric about the next task: without the clue that the other champions have access to, I'm more likely to fall into another Dumbledore trap."

"Well what about Ragnok?" asked Hermione, "I know that the dragons came from Romania, but the eggs were fashioned by the goblins: if we arrange a meeting with Ragnok, he would be unable to deny the will of Lord Gryffindor."

"That's not a bad idea," Harry agreed, "Dobby!"

His faithful elf appeared on call, his eyes wide with shock as he saw Harry's red marks; seeing the fear, Harry raised a hand and told him, "Don't worry about these Dobby: that's why I have such a welcome sensation as my Hermione's hands on my body. I called you here to deliver a message for me: can you do that?"

"Yes Harry," Dobby replied.

"I want you to go to Gringotts and speak with Ragnok," Harry explained, "Tell him that Lord Harry Potter wishes a meeting with him in regards to the next task in the Triwizard Tournament; also tell him that I wish to speak with him in regards to the magical power within me from Voldemort's Horcrux."

"Dobby hears and obeys your wishes sir," the elf replied, before he vanished with a crack, leaving Harry to look back to Hermione, his face showing an expression of doubt that was waging war with his mind.

"What is it?" Asked Hermione, looking to her boyfriend.

"I don't know," Harry replied, "But I keep getting this feeling that the next task will place you in great danger Hermione and, given that I do love you and have sworn to protect you, I could never let that happen."

"Don't worry love," Hermione smiled, placing a gentle kiss on Harry's forehead, "Ragnok will be able to provide the answers we need and hopefully a way that we can be safe together."

"I hope you're right Hermione," Harry sighed, feeling much more relaxed with his girlfriend's words, "For Hogwarts sake, I hope you're right."

Hermione didn't need to question what Harry had meant by that remark as she knew all too well how Harry would move heaven and earth to see her safe, smiling and at his side. Hopefully, Hurricane Harry wouldn't need to come to Hogwarts with the Second Task; hopefully, it could all go smoothly and Harry could still have that brave smile on his face at the end of it.

_**WhoAmI?**_

While Harry and Hermione waited on Ragnok's reply, neither of them were aware of a meeting between the Vindicators going on, all of them bound by a magical oath not to betray Harry – even though he had told them it wasn't necessary – as well as a silencing and anti-eavesdropping ward provided by Cedric.

Standing at the head of their little procession, Neville spoke up, "We all know that the Vindicators are loyal to Harry, but now, here, away from his ears, I'd like to hear any doubts you have as long as they do not affect the oath we all took."

"In that case," Cedric remarked, "I'd just like to ask one thing: why did he not choose this side sooner?"

"WHAT?" Exclaimed the others, Cedric looking around as he stood tall and proud, his face set in a determined, confident expression.

"It's true," Cedric explained, "We all saw his memories and had them replayed for Daphne and Susan's sake and, it's like Harry was told: his power wasn't cursed by…Voldemort," the expectant shudder filled the room, save for Cedric and Draco. "No, it was given to him as a means to mark him as the Heir of Slytherin; just think about it this way: if it hadn't been for Harry's memories being blocked and his magic bound, he would have been sorted into Slytherin in the first place, right?"

"You've got a point there Ced," commented Draco, nodding to his new brother-in-arms, "I mean, when I first met Harry in Diagon Alley, there was something different about him, but he was still one of us. I can't believe I actually questioned where his allegiances laid and accused him of being a mud-sorry, Muggleborn."

"You didn't," laughed Daphne, looking to Draco, "Your family are all Slytherins Dray, so why didn't you see the Slytherin in him?"

"Probably for the same reason that he didn't see it in himself," Ginny answered her, "It wasn't there, or at least as far as his magic was concerned, it wasn't there."

"Which would explain his earlier uses of Parseltongue," Neville agreed, "He once said that he set a snake on his cousin at the zoo: the barrier must have been breaking down somehow; just enough to give him a taste of the power."

"And thanks to the attitude block," Luna added, "He would fear this power and use it as little as he could."

"But now that he's free of the blocks," Fred nodded.

"As well as having the powers and magical memories of Voldemort," George added, seeing the expected shudder once more.

"He's the Harry that he should be," they chorused, the others nodding in agreement at their logic.

"There's just one thing I want to know," Susan piped up, "If he is as determined to side with…Voldemort as we all saw in his memories, how can we explain this to the adults in our life?"

"Good point," laughed Draco, "I highly doubt that the Head of the DMLE would be so willing as to accept Voldemort as her new leader, not even for Harry's sake. She'd have an arrest warrant on his head and a price bounty higher than even those of his Inner Circle."

"On the other hand," Cedric pointed out, "Amelia Bones isn't just the DMLE head is she Sue?"

"No," admitted Susan, lowering her eyes as she whispered, "She's…she's one of the candidates named by Lord and Lady Potter for Harry's guardianship and, through that, she is Harry's honorary godmother, along with Professor McGonagall."

"And Sirius Black is his godfather," Neville informed them, "But how does someone have two godparents?"

"Because of his lineage," Draco explained, "An honorary godmother is the one who has the right to guide and protect their ward while doing everything possible to assist the lineage they represent. So, in the case of Madam Bones, it would be the Gryffindor bloodline that Harry has inherited from his Father."

"Which would mean he now needs an honorary godfather," Neville sighed, "Someone to represent the House of Slytherin."

"Shame my Father hates him," Draco sighed, looking almost guilty as he added, "Then again, he doesn't know that Harry and I have buried the hatchet and are now brothers-in-arms."

"Well what about Professor Snape?" asked Ginny, "We've all seen him protect Harry's name and lineage; you said it yourself Draco about what happened to Parkinson before the Yule Ball."

"True," Draco nodded, "And for those who haven't guessed it, he _is_ my godfather, so I could speak to him and he could speak with Harry or Professor McGonagall."

"Or Professor Lupin," added Luna, "He and Professor McGonagall were named as Harry's Vassals to the Lord, which, in essence, makes them his new guardians."

"We'll figure something out," Neville sighed, "But back to the original point: we've all got a reason to despise…Voldemort; I mean, hell, I still have trouble accepting the fact that Draco here is my ally."

"You mean because of Bella?" asked Draco, the other Vindicators noticing that Neville's attitude turned into an almost replica of Harry before his outburst.

"Yes," Neville replied, his voice close to monotone as he spoke, "I know that wishing for her destruction will not undo what she did to me, but she did it at the request of Voldemort."

"Or did she?" asked Susan, a note of realisation in her voice, "Think about it Neville: why would Bellatrix Lestrange go after a hidden family like yours if Voldemort went after Harry to mark him as the Heir of Slytherin?"

"And if he did go after Harry to mark him," agreed Cedric, seeing where she was going with this, "Why did he kill Lily and James Potter?"

"Unless _he_ didn't," the twins realised, looking to Draco, who seemed to agree with them.

"Chinese Whispers," Neville commented, finally getting the message himself, "But the only way to find out the answer would be to…"

"I know," Cedric remarked, "Ask him."

"Which Harry could do," Luna suggested, "As the Heir of Slytherin, he could find out the how and why and, if he _does_ possess a portion of Voldemort's soul in his head, then he could use that soul to get his questions answered."

"So then it's agreed," Draco spoke up, "We leave it to Harry to discover the truth, but, in the mean time, we're all standing with him in his quest to become the wizarding warrior that he is."

"Agreed," the Vindicators chorused.

"And when he does find out the truth," Neville added, "We can have him show us the memories, but we have to make sure that our actions don't betray our oaths."

"Agreed."

"And we'll deal with the other parts of this mystery when they come around," Susan nodded, "I'll speak to my Aunt about her place as honorary godmother and see if she agrees with our nominating Professor Snape to be Harry's honorary godfather given his recent change of heart towards Harry."

"Agreed."

"And in the meantime," Cedric seemed to finish, "We keep on helping Harry to emerge victorious in this tournament: even I'll willingly step aside for him and name him as the true Hogwarts Champion."

"Agreed."

Draco put his hand in, as if sealing the deal, "For Harry?"

There were looks of wonder, curiosity, doubt, angst and even fear in the eyes of the Vindicators; however, as they looked to Neville, who had been the first to place his hand with Draco's, the other Vindicators, the honoured allegiance of the four Hogwarts Houses, made their decision and placed their hands in with their brothers-in-arms.

"For Harry!" They all declared, their unified friendship and allegiance helping them decide that this, in three simple words, was all for their leader;

For the sake of Gryffindor and Slytherin;

You could even call it…for the Greater Good!

_**WhoAmI?**_

Harry and Hermione waited patiently for their appointment with Ragnok, the goblin leader having sent word back with Dobby that he would meet with the Lord of Gryffindor and Slytherin in person. As they sat there, both of them eager to learn the truth about the tasks, Harry suddenly visibly shivered and, as if out of instinct, his hand went to his lightning-bolt scar.

Seeing this, Hermione asked, "What is it love?"

"I don't know," Harry replied, his hand massaging the area around his scar, "I just felt this wave of magic passing through me."

"Does your scar hurt?" asked Hermione, slightly worried for her boyfriend.

"Not really," Harry admitted, "In fact…it's almost…warm and pleasurable, like someone's trying to speak to me through the scar."

"What?" asked Hermione, "You mean…Voldemort?"

"Could be," Harry replied, his eyes watching their room as he asked, "Would you mind?"

"Go on," Hermione nodded, indicating their bedroom, "I'll speak with Ragnok on your behalf."

Giving Hermione a quick kiss, Harry raced up to his room, cast several powerful charms on the doors and windows, ensuring no-one could overhear or interfere with his conversation, before he walked out onto the balcony, sitting calmly on the edge of the railing, one leg dangled over the side as he spoke almost to the air. "Is it you?"

There were a few moments silence before a sibilant, oily voice hissed back at him, {Yes Harry: this is a surprise; when I have tried to speak with you before, it has always harmed you.}

"Voldemort," whispered Harry, wondering where the man was hiding if his words were being spoken in Parseltongue.

As if to answer his question, the voice of the Dark Lord spoke again, {Calm your mind Harry and we shall be able to speak in the matter I think is necessary.}

{And what is that?} hissed Harry, startling himself as Parseltongue rolled off his lips.

Voldemort's words came back to him within seconds, {To learn the truth about your scar…and the _real_ events of that fated night.}

Harry, ever since learning the facts from Hermione, had secretly wanted nothing more and so, deciding that his facts about his scar and his truth were more important, Harry closed his eyes, reached out with his magic and seemed to go into a meditative trance as he followed the voice of the Dark Lord into his subconscious.

_**WhoAmI?**_

When Harry opened his eyes, he saw that he was standing in a long white room that seemed to resemble what Hermione had explained to be Platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross Station; two trails of train tracks ran either side of him and, as Harry looked forwards, his eyes widened as to what he saw sat on one of the benches.

A tall, thin man dressed in a long black robe, his face almost as pale as the room around them, a pair of red eyes staring into the distance before they looked to Harry from underneath a head of black hair that was neatly combed and styled on top of his head.

At a closer glance, Harry then noticed the crest of Slytherin was upon this man's robe, a thin, black wand in his hand and, at his side, a long, emerald green python that seemed to rise and inspect Harry with a pair of bronze-coloured eyes.

When he saw Harry wasn't going to run, as if he had sensed that same expression in Harry's eyes, the man smiled and asked, "Hello Harry, do you know me?"

"Yes," replied Harry, moving not away from the man, but towards him, sitting down on the edge of the bench, "Tom Marvolo Riddle."

"That's right," Riddle smiled, but Harry wasn't finished.

"Also known as Lord Voldemort: the murderer of my parents and the man who made me Lord Slytherin."

Tom's next words would change the very nature of Harry and all his adventures forever:

"You're half right Harry; I _did_ anoint you as the Heir of Slytherin but," he then slid his wand towards Harry and, in a manner very unlike the Dark Lord, he stood up and then, moving to where Harry was seated, crouched before him and, taking Harry's hands, spoke his next words;

"I did not kill your parents! I was trying to save them!"

_**Chapter 9 and there's something you don't hear every day: Voldemort was trying to SAVE Lily and James?**_

_**From what and what does this have to do with the fact that he DID anoint Harry to be the Heir of Slytherin?**_

_**Keep Reading to Find Out…**_

_**Next Chapter: Harry discovers a weapon from the past that Hermione didn't tell him: plus, as the Second Task nears, Harry meets with Sirius and makes a plan to clear his name; plus, Hermione has a request for Minerva and Remus regarding Harry's summer arrangements and Tom reveals some startling secrets about their encounters and the reason he tried to SAVE Lily and James;**_

_**Following Chapter: **__**The Second Task is here and Harry is prepared, but a surprise twist seems to drive him to near-complete descent into darkness; also, it seems that a certain red-headed retard just can't get the message and Harry has a favour to ask of the goblin nation: its purpose – REVENGE!**_

_**Please Read and Review…**_


	11. 10: The Third Magic

Who Am I? A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Ginny

Draco/Luna

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

_**Review Answers:**_

_**Cy1701: Not really an approach I plan on taking for the dead-man; also, Molly's howler will backfire pretty soon;**_

_**Coolcatw: I appreciate the kind words and comments; I'm glad you like the story;**_

_**MariusDarkwolf: All will be revealed at the resurrection;**_

_Tom's next words would change the very nature of Harry and all his adventures forever:_

"_You're half right Harry; I did anoint you as the Heir of Slytherin but," he then slid his wand towards Harry and, in a manner very unlike the Dark Lord, he stood up and then, moving to where Harry was seated, crouched before him and, taking Harry's hands, spoke his next words;_

"_I did not kill your parents! I was trying to save them!"_

Chapter 10: The Third Magic

Harry recoiled in shock at the words that left Voldemort's lips, his eyes on the Dark Lord as he stared at the man before him, his own emerald eyes filled with shock and disbelief as he asked, "Sorry, did you _just_ say that you were trying to save my parents?"

"I did," replied the Dark Lord, his red eyes almost boring into Harry's skull as he stood up and took a seat next to the Tri-Lord, "And I can understand that you have doubts Harry, but please understand that what I did was only in the effort to save them."

"Why?" asked Harry, looking to the man he had been told to be the reason he was an orphan.

"Because of you," Tom answered him, looking to Harry as he explained, "Because of what you are…what you _really_ are."

"And what's that?" asked Harry.

"Something that hasn't been seen for years," explained Tom, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he spoke. "You see Harry, before you were born, there was a prophecy made about you, a prophecy that spoke of a child that, for all intents and purposes, shouldn't exist."

"And why's that?" asked Harry, "What are you trying to tell me Riddle?"

"I think," Tom remarked, realising he was obviously not making any real sense to Harry, "That it's best I start at the beginning; you see Harry, there are those in the world that believe all magic to be either light or dark, but, when you were born, there was a very rare astrological event: a pure, planetary alignment that affected all of magic. In the midst of the alignment, at its equinox, you could say, your Mother, dear sweet Lily Potter had you and, when you were born, there were a select few figures who sensed your arrival: I was one of them."

"And what does this have to do with you saving my parents?" asked Harry.

"I'm getting there," Tom answered, his voice calm and understanding as he continued, "As I told you Harry, I was one of the figures that sensed your birth into the world, but this is because your very existence is said to threaten the very meaning of light and dark magic, which, in essence, marks you as something that shouldn't exist: a Pure Wizard."

"Pure?" asked Harry, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Before light and dark magic were officially classed," Tom explained, "There was a third level of magic known as Pure magic, a level of magic that had no real consequences and could not be equalled or beaten in battle. The last Pure Wizard was someone who you have probably heard about before even my time; a wizard known as Gellert Grindelwald and, when he lived, his chosen path as a Pure wizard made the wizarding community see him as a Dark Lord."

"Really?" asked Harry, "So what are you saying? I'm some Pure wizard who basically can't be classed as a real wizard?"

"Not anymore, no," Tom answered, "You see Harry, there is an old saying that I try to teach to all who serve me and the reason that I teach this saying is so that, when the Pure wizard comes along and claims his magical abilities, my legions of followers will be the first to aid him restore the Balance between Light and Darkness. This, Harry, is why I was trying to save your parents on that fated night in Halloween: your Father, James Potter, was a man who was purely aligned with the Light and would not relent his decision, not even for his own son, but your Mother Lily was more a Grey-Level witch, which meant that she hadn't truly made her decision and, while she could be swayed, she never realised that she had the choice solely for the child that she had brought into this world, you, Harry Potter, Pure Lord or, to give you a real title, the Prince of Magic."

"But then," Harry remarked, "Why did you kill my parents and, if you didn't, then what truly happened that night?"

"All right Harry," Tom sighed, running a hand through his black hair, "If you wish to know the truth, then I will tell you: I went there that night, knowing full well that your parents were never protected nor were they hidden; in fact, as of the beginning of Halloween night, their location was as open to me as Hogwarts is to you. I knew that this would be my one chance to protect your Mother and give her the full explanation that, one day soon, I will also give to you: when I arrived at Number One, Godric's Hollow, I found the door to your home blasted off and your Father seemingly driven to insanity by some unknown affliction. I walked through the door and, as soon as he saw me, his delusions ordered him to cry out to your Mother; he told her to take you and run, before he fought me in battle. At one point, I erected a shield that made sure I could not kill him, but I did not count on your Father's strength: he tried blasting me out of the house and, in place of my shield, his own spell rebounded and knocked him through a brick wall. I knew that I would not earn favour with Lily if it seemed like I had killed him, so, to protect the truth, I cast green sparks around the room and went to check on your Father."

"Are you saying he killed himself?" asked Harry, looking to Tom with a sense of calmness and a partial understanding of what was being said.

"No," answered Tom, "When I checked on James, he was still alive, but barely: he looked me in the eyes and whispered that he was sorry, before pleading with me to protect his son; when I nodded to him in response, I scanned his mind and found a latent form of the Imperious Curse upon his magic, forcing him to do battle with me and protect Lily. I left James after that and climbed the stairs, where I found Lily talking to you, telling you that you were to be safe, to be strong and that you should know you were loved."

Harry had to wipe his eyes as a dim and distant memory of that very moment burned through his mind; he could still feel someone stroking his cheek and warm, damp tears dripping down his face as he couldn't understand what was happening.

"When she saw me," Tom continued, "She went into a rage and asked me how I could kill James: I tried to tell her to stand aside, knowing that I could still fulfil James' last request and, as if she feared I was going to kill you, she begged for me to kill her instead, but to leave you alone. I didn't want to do it Harry; I tried to convince her to step aside so that I could honour your Father's dying wish, but she was a mother protecting her child. Though no-one else would admit it, I then told her that I was sorry and that you would be safe…then…then I…"

"Cast the Killing Curse Avada Kedavra," Harry sniffed, "Robbing her of her life."

"And ensuring that your life would be safe," Tom insisted, now taking Harry's hands as he spoke up, "Killing rips the soul apart Harry and I knew that my knowledge would come in handy one day…so, as you're probably aware, I took my soul piece…"

"And turned me into a Horcrux," Harry nodded, "I am aware of that, yes, but I still don't understand…Tom: you could have taken me away and raised me as your son; you could have honoured my parents' wishes and raised me to be the Prince you say that I am, so why didn't you?"

"One word," Tom answered, "Dumbledore: he turned up, challenged me and we engaged in a wizard's duel: I wanted to protect you Harry and so I did cast Avada Kedavra once more; however, Dumbledore seemed to understand what I wanted and, in a split second, he had somehow taken my curse and rebounded it onto you: I still hear your screams as my curse marks you with the scar on your forehead, as well as my own screams as your Horcrux and your Mother's sacrifice destroy my body. Harry, I don't know what happened after that, but the fact that it has taken thirteen years to reach you tells me that you have not had it as easy as Lily and James had hoped."

"And you would be right," Harry nodded, "He left me with the Dursleys, my Mother's relatives and then he bound my magic behind a powerful set of blocks: after that, he made sure I couldn't touch the power within me without having my scar burn with pain. Tom, there's something you need to know: you see, I had some kind of accident earlier in the year and lost all my memories; however, when I recovered, all my magic came back to me and I even discovered I was the Heir of Slytherin."

"Then your Mother's sacrifice was not for nothing," Tom remarked, a smile crossing his face as he explained, "Physically Harry, there is _no_ spell strong enough to combat the AK Curse, but, if I am right, then your Mother's sacrifice must have somehow fused her love with you and ensured that you were safe."

"That must have been the counter-measure I was told about," Harry agreed, looking to Tom as he added, "I was told that my magic could only reverse these blocks on an injury that could have left me comatose, but Tom; that's not the point: what I'm trying to say is that I don't even remember our previous encounters. I had a very loyal friend tell me about them and I'm still determined to follow my destiny; I don't want to fight you, but I'm not going to serve you either."

"I thought as much," Tom nodded, "In that case, Harry, would you consider taking the position I was going to give you? As my ward? I can teach you everything you need to know about the Pure Magic and can also help you discover the secrets behind your unique powers and, on my own life, I swear that I will not cause harm to anyone connected to you and your destiny."

"Do you mean that?"

"I do, but first I need to complete the rituals necessary for my resurrection and, for that, I need your help: it's how and why I was able to bring you here into the ether, so we could talk and I could give you the facts. Once I return to the world as the so-called Dark Lord, I will set out to achieve your Father's dying wishes and keep my promise to your Mother."

"What will you do if I say no?" asked Harry, slightly confused as to why he was even considering the offer.

"I will let you leave the battles to Albus and I," Tom explained, "Harry, I only seek to honour your parents' wishes and, though I failed in saving them, I will not fail to keep my word in keeping you safe. The war between Albus and I need not concern you; I will let you have your life back and, if you choose to decline my offer, then I shall respect your wishes and never bother you again; I will leave Hogwarts and all who follow you safe and sound and I will never bother your life again…unless you're still loyal to Albus that is."

"I'm not," Harry answered, his eyes on the Dark Lord, "And I can't answer you yet: instead, I will consider your offer and give you an answer as and when you return to this world; what is it you need from me?"

"Your blood."

"Then I will willingly give it to you either way," Harry explained, his hand on his Crest, "As Lord Slytherin, I swear it Tom, but I will not give you my answer until the first opportunity after your resurrection: can you allow that?"

"I can," Tom nodded, "And I will also tell you the date that I will need you: June 24th, which is also the date of the Third Task in this Tournament: now, on that note, there's something else you may like to know."

"What's that?" asked Harry, glad of the timescale that the Dark Lord was allowing him.

"Just who it is that put your name in the Goblet of Fire…"

_**WhoAmI?**_

When Hermione saw her boyfriend return to the Common Room, a look of confusion crossed her face at the sly, almost icy smile that was plastered on his face, his emerald eyes shining with magic and his stance and expressions telling her that whatever he had heard was obviously something he accepted. At her side, Ragnok was seated in one of the chairs surrounding the fireplace, a parchment before him, his own eyes on Harry as he bowed with respect, "Lord Potter…sorry, Harry: a pleasure to see you again."

"Oh thank you Ragnok," replied Harry, his smile remaining on his face as he kissed Hermione and then joined Ragnok next to the fireplace, "Have I missed anything?"

"Not really," Hermione gasped, her voice almost failing her at the way she had been accepted by Harry, "Ragnok told me that he was allowed to aid you in the tournament as well as accept the fact that one of your competitors are also your allies. He then brought something that I should have thought to tell you about, which could help you in the tournament."

"What's that then?" asked Harry, looking back to Ragnok, a part of him relieved that he was allowed the assistance of the goblin nation in the Triwizard Tournament.

"This," Ragnok answered, before he reached down next to his chair and pulled out a solid-gold and ruby decorated scabbard that held a golden-hilted end, the image of a lion inscribed into the scabbard along with a name written in runes along the edge of the scabbard.

"Godric Gryffindor," Harry whispered, watching as Ragnok bowed his head and offered the scabbard and sword to Harry.

Hermione was now speaking, "Do you remember what I told you about the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Yes," Harry nodded, "You said that I defeated a Basilisk with a sword that allegedly belonged to Godric Gryffindor and was hidden within the Hogwarts Sorting Hat."

"That's right," Hermione nodded, before she indicated the sword held by Harry, "Well, according to Ragnok, the sword that you used was a mere replica of Godric's sword that was offered to the headmaster of Hogwarts by, get this, Charles Richard Potter, your grand-father, for the best years and friendships of his life. When Dumbledore became headmaster, he placed the sword within the hat and, being a member of the Potter line, it explains the real reason that the sword came to you."

"Miss Hermione is right Harry," Ragnok continued for her, "This sword, which you now hold in your hand, is the _real_ sword of Godric Gryffindor; burnished in dragon-fire and woven with a solid silver-edged finish, it was forged in the days of the Fifth Goblin King and offered to Godric Gryffindor himself as a means to respect the honour between our kind and his Lordship. Now, as leader of the goblin nation, I am more than honoured and willing to offer you your ancestor's blade and also offer you his place as a Clan Brother to the High Council of goblins, represented by myself."

With a gasp, Harry removed the sword from the scabbard, the silver-edged blade almost singing with magic as he swished it around, the blade and sword feeling lighter than air in his hands, his own magic almost humming in perfect synchronicity with the power that was sealed within the sword; lowering it, Harry lay the blade flat in his hands and kneeled before Ragnok, holding the sword out to him. "Lord Ragnok Silverfang, I am honoured to be considered a Clan Brother to the goblin nation and vow, on my ancestor's sword that I will do all in my power to honour and respect the goblin's alliance with my family. I offer my sword and my services to you and your kind in alliance and brotherhood."

"I ask for no services Lord Potter," Ragnok answered, taking Godric's sword in his hand, "But I am proud to know that one as strong as yourself is now my brother; rise, Harry James Silverbolt, Brother of the High Goblins."

As Harry stood up, Ragnok handed him the weapon back, before both members of the clan pressed their fists to their chests and bowed to the other, Ragnok speaking again, "Now my brother, I can tell you the full details of the Second Task in the Triwizard Tournament."

Harry and Hermione sat together, Godric's Sword resting in Harry's lap as he listened to his new family member speaking to him, "In the next trial, my honoured brother, there will be a treasure taken from you that is actually a hostage; this treasure shall be hidden at the bottom of the Black Lake and you will have one hour to find and retrieve your treasure. If you do not, then you risk failing the task and, by the customs of the Tournament, you will not be allowed to know the meaning of the final task."

'Which is a big mistake,' thought Harry, 'Especially if I am to give Tom my answer and the plan that he has made for my rise as the Pure Lord comes to pass.'

"Now," continued Ragnok, "Normally, such a tradition is ignored in the tournament, but the treasured hostage is usually someone that matters greatly to the champion, which, though I hesitate to say it, could mean that your treasure will be no-one else, but…"

"Hermione," Harry growled, a ripple of magic passing through the room, the magical metal within the sword humming with a musical tone as Harry's magic ran across its surface. Looking to Ragnok, he asked, "Do you have any suggestions for ways to aid me in this task brother?"

"You could opt for a second to take your place," Ragnok informed him, "Especially since you are a Triple-Class Lord: such a dangerous task against your person can be ignored given your status; if you opt for this second, then I give you my word that he or she will have the full support of the goblin nation and, on my honour, my brother, I swear that, should anything in the slightest harm Miss Hermione, we of Gringotts will see to it that her damages are compensated as well as investigating the cause for said trouble. The reason for this is because, according to the customs of the Tournament, the tasks are designed to merely test the champions and not the innocents."

"If anything harms Hermione," Harry growled, the musical humming from the blade now increasing in pitch as his own magic seemed to get stronger, "I will not hesitate to use this sword and cut them down. Ragnok," he then seemed to glare at the goblin leader as he added, "In the name of our new brotherhood, I would like you to _personally_ oversee the preparations for the next task and, on the first hearing of the hostages, you will inform me so that I may assist my fellow champions. I won't allow the manipulations and mind games behind this Tournament to endanger anyone's life: this Tournament is taking place on my home turf, so I will accept full responsibility for the champions and their hostages, is that clear?"

"By the Gods," Ragnok replied, his hand going to his chest, "I accept the burden given by Lord Gryffindor and Lord Slytherin, my brother."

"Thank you," Harry replied, heaving a sigh as he leaned back and allowed Hermione to calm his tensions and growing anger with her magical touch.

_**WhoAmI?**_

January soon disappeared and the dreaded time of February appeared for Hogwarts, all the while, Harry tried his best to keep his mind occupied, while trying to hide the never-ending circle of dilemmas that filled his mind. Despite knowing about the task and what was going to be taken, Harry couldn't help but feel a strong sense of dread and fear: after informing Cedric of the task details – by way of the Vindicators so that their alliance was kept silent – as well as looking up possible ways to aid his breathing underwater, Harry could only realise that the answer was in front of him.

The book that Professor Sprout had sent him for Christmas had spoken of aqua-based plants and one of them was Gillyweed: it would allow him an hour at the most, but, with a little help from some Charms books in the Chamber, Harry found the means to extend that time should the need arise, while, at the same time, doing all he could to keep his fears to himself.

Familiar flutterings of panic were starting to disturb Harry now, and he was finding it difficult to concentrate in class again. The lake, which Harry had always taken for granted as just another feature of the grounds, drew his eyes whenever he was near a classroom window, a great, iron-gray mass of chilly water, with its labyrinth of dark and icy depths were starting to seem as distant as the moon. It felt as though time was slipping away as though somebody had bewitched the clocks to go extra-fast. There was a week to go before February the twenty-fourth…there were five days to go…three days to go; with two days left, Harry started to go off food again and, as he returned to the Chamber that night, his ears picked up the sound of four familiar voices arguing within the walls of the Chamber.

"I can't believe the nerve of Dumbledore to do something like this," Sirius' dulcet tones were crying out, "If Harry doesn't hear of this before Saturday, there'll be a disaster of massacre-level proportions."

"But Harry's been busier than ever lately," Remus' voice was saying, "Now that he has made up his mind about his future, we need him to know that we stand with him."

"I have to agree with Remus," Minerva was saying, "But also agree with Sirius: if Harry does not know of Albus' trap, then we may lose the young man we have worked so hard to help. Can you help him?"

"I will always do my best," Severus' voice was saying, the presence of the Potions Master slightly surprising Harry, "But I have been unable to move as of late given that I am busy watching Albus' plans fall around him. Minerva, I don't wish to alarm the boy, but if he does learn of this, then the first thing he will do is hunt down the guilty party."

"All right," Minerva was saying, an audible sigh leaving her lips as she asked, "What do you suggest?"

"How about…" Harry remarked, walking into the Chamber of Pride, startling all four of the adults as he looked to each of them, "You tell me what's going on and I'll decide what to do from there."

Minerva, Severus, Remus and Sirius all looked to one another, the Marauders looking partially worried as Sirius walked across the room, his eyes on his godson, "Harry, you need to rest: Saturday!"

"Saturday can come and go," Harry told them, "What's going on Sirius? Severus? Minerva?"

"We have to tell him," Remus nodded, "We are his Vassals."

"Very well," Severus nodded, giving Harry a look of concern and respect, "You see Harry; we learned something about the Second Task that you…"

"I already know about the hostages," Harry nodded, "Fleur's sister, Cho Chang, Millicent Bulstrode and Hermione."

"That's just it," Minerva remarked, "Your hostage _won't_ be Hermione: Harry, if you compete tomorrow, you could put yourself in great and terrible danger."

"Why?" asked Harry, his hand flexing as he wished he was suddenly holding Godric's sword in his hand, "Who has been chosen for me?"

"Ginny Weasley," Sirius answered, "And the reason you're in danger is because…" he shared a worried look with the others while Severus was the one to say it, already bracing himself for the explosion.

"Albus was the one to choose her for you…we think he's going to try and trap you again."

_**Chapter 10 and the Second Task nears, but what is Dumbledore trying to do in choosing Ginny as Harry's hostage?**_

_**Also, now that Harry is protected as brother to the goblins, how will they react to this change of plans?**_

_**Keep Reading to Find Out…**_

_**Next Chapter: Hermione has a request for Minerva and Remus regarding Harry's summer arrangements; The Second Task is here and Harry is prepared, but a surprise twist seems to drive him to near-complete descent into darkness, but some advice from Ragnok brings him back and helps seal one of the pairings in place; also, it seems that a certain red-headed retard just can't get the message and Harry has a favour to ask of the goblin nation: its purpose – REVENGE!**_

_**Please Read and Review…**_


	12. 11: The Second Task

Who Am I? A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Ginny

Draco/Luna

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

_**Review Answers:**_

_**MariusDarkwolf: **__**That is the base idea, but I think that there were others who picked up on that;**_

_**Zamia: You think that NOW? Dumbles has been a few players short since his staff and the Vindicators chose Harry's side;**_

"_Ginny Weasley," Sirius answered, "And the reason you're in danger is because…" he shared a worried look with the others while Severus was the one to say it, already bracing himself for the explosion._

"_Albus was the one to choose her for you…we think he's going to try and trap you again."_

Chapter 11: The Second Task

'Bastard; asshole; whiskered wanker; senile manipulative fucking shit-head!'

Harry's thoughts could have made even the strongest of men cower with fear as he sat at the Slytherin Table on the morning of the Second Task, others around him noticing the absence of their classmates, while Harry kept his gaze on the Gryffindor Table, watching as Neville seemed to hang his head in shame, as if he felt he had failed Harry.

Rising from his seat, Harry walked over and, kneeling down next to his vassal, asked, "Neville: tell me: why do you think you failed?"

"I am sorry Harry," Neville answered him, "I should have helped you watch out for Hermione, but she was asked to Professor McGonagall's office and that was the last I heard from her. Is she…"

"She's not one of the hostages," Harry explained, "Ginny is and, if my theories are right, then she'll have some kind of spell or ritual enacted upon her that will force the two of us together…at least that's what Ragnok believes."

"How do you hope to fight it Harry?" asked Neville, watching as his lord looked to the High Table, where Minerva and Severus were looking worried, while Dumbledore had a look that may as well have been used for a summer vacation.

"Actually," whispered the Tri-Lord, "If you want me to prove to you that this isn't your fault, then I'll need _your_ help, my vassal."

"I will do all in my power to help you, my Lord," Neville replied, looking to Dumbledore as he asked, "What do you need?"

"Just be on the Champions platform before the start of the task," he then slipped a hand into his robe and, being as subtle as he could manage, Harry slid the contents of his hand into Neville's pocket, "And, when I say, put this in your mouth and do as I say."

"Yes my Lord," Neville replied, watching as Harry stood tall and wandered back to the Slytherin Table, his plan working so far; now all he needed to do was ensure the safety of the other hostages as well as seeing to his princess.

'Dumbledore,' Harry thought, sitting back with the Slytherins, 'You thought you captured this snake in your trap? Well guess what? The snake that you hoped to capture has just revealed its true self…as the dragon that will bring you down you old fool.'

_**WhoAmI?**_

Standing on the platform with the other champions, Harry caught sight of Cedric looking slightly worried, Fleur looking less glamorous than she had usually presented herself and Viktor Krum looking like he wanted to rip someone's eyes out. This was to be expected however as, with a little unknown assistance from Harry, the other champions had known just who was going to be taken and, as Harry stood on the edge of the water, his hand hiding a small amount of his specially-charmed Gillyweed, he counted down the seconds to the start of the task, hoping his newfound brother would not miss his cue.

Ludo Bagman was now speaking with a magically-amplified voice as he addressed the other students and staff, "Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One...two...three!"

"STOP!" Boomed a deep, commanding voice, the timing making Harry smile as Ragnok parted the crowds and approached Harry, bowing with respect as he whispered, "The deed is done my brother."

"Thank you Ragnok," Harry replied, looking to Bagman, before he copied the man's amplified voice with his own, "Honoured judges: I, Lord Harry James Potter, Heir of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin ask to enact the Right of Reservation!"

"There is no such right," snapped Percy Weasley, but the bossy-mouthed fool was silenced by Ragnok drawing his sword, a similar weapon now appearing in Harry's hand as he stepped away from the water's edge and, looking to Weasley, pointed his weapon, the sword of Godric Gryffindor, right between the teenager's eyes.

"If you knew the rules as much as your honourable Mr Crouch says you do," Harry explained, "You would see not one, but two rules that have clearly been breached here today: Article 213 of the Ancient Rules clearly states that all champions or, failing that, their adult supervisors are to be informed of the names/titles of the hostages taken for the second task; also, Article 1 states quite clearly that there _is_ a Right of Reservation that can be enacted by any of the champions as long as they are represented by a family or an organisation of equal standing. Since I am Lord of two Founders, an Honoured Brother to the Goblin Nation _and_ Lord of three powerful families in Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin, I would say that I have the necessary standing to enact this right; Master Ragnok, as Goblin Chief, would you do me the honour of being my representative?"

"I would my lord," Ragnok answered, stepping forwards and linking his hand with Harry's as he added, "Since Lord Potter was not officially named as a third champion, but under a fictitious fourth school, he is now represented by the Gringotts High Council of Elders."

"Very well," Bagman nodded, "The claim and rule are both valid: Lord Potter, who do you choose as your second?"

With a smile, Harry answered, "My family's vassal and brother-in-arms, Neville Longbottom."

As if on cue, Neville was transported next to Harry, his cheeks bulging slightly as he quickly swallowed and asked, "What is your wish my lord?"

"Go into the lake and play your part in this task," Harry explained, watching as Neville joined the other champions, before the Tri-Lord looked to the schools and, with his amplified voice now echoing across the lake, he explained, "For the sake of the schools, I hereby swear that none of the hostages will be left down there, even if one of the champions should fail: and, speaking of the hostages, here they are: Gabrielle Delacour, Millicent Bulstrode, Cho Chang and Ginerva Weasley!"

"WHAT?" Roared most of the school, Minerva, Severus and Remus watching with pride as Bagman turned on Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore: what is this? We agreed that Lord Potter's lady, young Hermione Granger, would be the hostage: what has happened?"

"I thought her clear and present danger would distract Harry from the purpose of the task," Dumbledore explained, trying to sweeten the deal here as he added, "Believe me Mr Bagman: I did this…"

"For the Greater Good," Harry chorused with him, "How sweet, but now, if you don't mind, I have a young woman to find: Neville, good luck."

"Thanks Harry," Neville replied, as the cannon sounded and the champions took to the water, Harry meanwhile tapping into the Hogwarts wards – as was his newly discovered right as Heir of the Founders – before he apparated away from the lake and up towards the school.

_**WhoAmI?**_

Whether it was instinct or a sense of protection for his Hermione, he didn't know, but Harry's first destination was none other than the Hospital Wing, his eyes shining with raw magic as he tried to keep the feelings of rage and fear deep down, his magic spiking dangerously, making the walls tremble as he threw the doors to the wing open, catching sight of Madam Pomfrey.

"Where is she?" he asked, his eyes darkening as he looked to the matron, "Where is Hermione?"

"Calm yourself Harry," Madam Pomfrey answered, "She is here and she is safe."

"Is she awake?" asked Harry, following the medi-witch through to the rear end of the wing, the familiar figure of his girlfriend lying on the same bed that Harry had first occupied.

"She's been placed in deep stasis," explained Madam Pomfrey, "She won't wake for one hour; when she discovered that she was not to be the one who would be your hostage, she was slightly worried."

"You knew?" asked Harry, looking to the witch, "Why didn't you warn me?"

"Because I knew you would do something reckless," Madam Pomfrey answered, her own eyes now on the young man that had kept her quite busy in the early stages of his Hogwarts life. "But Hermione is safe, Harry and, judging by the fact that you are not covered in water and merpeople injuries, it's clear to me that you have done something to change this obvious play on your emotions."

"And you would be right," Harry agreed, "When I was informed of this little change in plans, I made sure that there was no hole for the master manipulator to crawl under: he endangered the life of my girlfriend and I would not stand for that. Now, within the next hour, you should actually have four people making their way here, which is all thanks to the pre-emptive strikes I took against this task and, if I'm right, the first of them should be arriving…right…about…now!"

There was a loud crack and, as if Harry were some kind of seer, the first arrivals did turn up: Viktor Krum and Millicent Bulstrode, both of them soaked to the bone, Viktor clearly halfway through some attempted human transfiguration.

"Dobby!" cried Harry, his loyal elf appearing as he looked to his fellow champion. "Please inform the judging panel that their champions are all safely convening here in the Hospital Wing."

"At once Harry," replied the elf, vanishing with a pop as Harry sat back and waited: ten minutes after Viktor came Cedric, holding Cho, but looking slightly alarmed.

As the Vindicator set his friend down, he looked to Harry and, with a slow smile, explained, "Neville wanted me to tell you thanks: apparently, he's going to be a while as Ginny wasn't among the assembly of hostages."

"Then where is she?" asked Harry, looking out of the window towards the lake.

"I don't know," Cedric answered, "Perhaps you…"

"Don't leave her," Harry warned him, before he slipped his Gillyweed into his mouth and, with another twist, apparated away from Hogwarts and down to the lake, his destination both comedic and intentional as he dive-bombed straight into the icy depths of the water.

Then, quite suddenly, Harry felt as though an invisible pillow had been pressed over his mouth and nose. He tried to draw breath, but it made his head spin; his lungs were empty, and he suddenly felt a piercing pain on either side of his neck – Harry clapped his hands around his throat and felt two large slits just below his ears, flapping in the cold air...He had gills. Without pausing to think, he did the only thing that made sense - he flung himself forward into the water.

The first gulp of icy lake water felt like the breath of life. His head had stopped spinning; he took another great gulp of water and felt it pass smoothly through his gills, sending oxygen back to his brain. He stretched out his hands in front of him and stared at them. They looked green and ghostly under the water, and they had become webbed. He twisted around and looked at his bare feet - they had become elongated and the toes were webbed too: It looked as though he had sprouted flippers.

The water didn't feel icy anymore either...on the contrary, he felt pleasantly cool and very light...Harry struck out once more, marvelling at how far and fast his flipper-like feet propelled him through the water, and noticing how clearly he could see, and how he no longer seemed to need to blink. He had soon swum so far into the lake that he could no longer see the bottom. He flipped over and dived into its depths.

Silence pressed upon his ears as he soared over a strange, dark, foggy landscape. He could only see ten feet around him, so that as he sped through the water new scenes seemed to loom suddenly out of the incoming darkness: forests of rippling, tangled black weed, wide plains of mud littered with dull, glimmering stones. He swam deeper and deeper, out toward the middle of the lake, his eyes wide, staring through the eerily gray-lit water around him to the shadow beyond, where the water became opaque.

Small fish flickered past him like silver darts. Once or twice he thought he saw something larger moving ahead of him, but when he got nearer, he discovered it to be nothing but a large, blackened log, or a dense clump of weed. There was no sign of any of the other champions, merpeople or, thankfully, the giant squid.

Then, as Harry swam deeper, he caught sight of what he'd read to be Grindylows surrounding a familiar light-haired female; with a gasp, Harry pulled out his wand and, pointing at the creatures, commanded, "_Toranatius!_"

A whirlwind of magic flew from the end of his wand, cutting through the water like some demon of the depths, its powerful waves of energy throwing the Grindylows away as Harry swam deeper, noticing Fleur Delacour covered by what he had also read to be the Bubble Head Charm. Powering through the water, Harry took Fleur's hand and gave her a smile, her face showing fear as she whispered, "Arry: what are you doing down here?"

"Helping my friends," Harry replied, "Have you seen Neville and Ginny?"

"_Non_," Fleur replied, her voice slightly distorted by her charm, "I thought zat zey would have been close; Monsieur Krum 'as already saved 'iz 'ostage."

"Okay," Harry nodded, looking through the murky waters; all around him was blackness and he was running out of time. "The hostage site isn't far away: get there, save your sister and get back to the Hospital Wing: Madam Pomfrey will look after you."

"Merci," Fleur smiled, before she leaned forwards and placed a light kiss on Harry's cheek, the young Lord knowing that Hermione would skin him alive if she learned of this.

Leaving Fleur behind, Harry moved away from the water, using his mental body clock to count down the minutes until the hour would be up; all around him was blackness for a long time until, with a last gasp, Harry caught sight of a familiar Gryffindor ahead of him, wand sparks doing battle with a creature that, when Harry moved closer, found he could only whisper, "Oh damn you Dumbledore."

Neville was doing battle with the giant squid and, embraced in its tentacles was none other than Ginny Weasley, her body still and unmoving.

Swimming up behind his vassal, Harry extended his hand and summoned Godric's Sword to his side, before he tapped Neville gently on the shoulder, his eyes on the squid as he whispered, "Allow me Neville."

"Harry?" asked the interim champion, "What are you…"

"Later," Harry explained, before he indicated the tentacles, "Freezing Charm until you reach Ginny: if it tries to attack you, then cast Protego or Diffindo; leave the rest to me."

"All right," Neville answered, watching as Harry took off to another side, the sword glistening in the reflective light of small orbs that seemed to envelop the squid's body; as he looked into the orbs, Harry shook his head: Dumbledore was a really stupid git. The squid lived this far into the lake because its instincts made it nocturnal, ensuring it hunted and lived by night; with those lights down here, it grew aggravated and, judging by its attack pattern, Harry also supposed that the old man had tried some form of compulsion.

Well, two could play that game; lowering his wand to the orbs, Harry commanded, "_Expellilumus!_"

A dark light flew from his wand and, as it touched the orbs, the darkness seemed to devour the light in a form similar to a black hole, leaving only the dim, sub-terrain light that the majestic beast in front of him would be used to. As he moved around the squid, dowsing the light that each of the orbs was providing, Harry noticed Neville seemed to be making some headway with the quest he had been given; extinguishing another light, Harry lifted Godric's sword and, putting his bravery first, he moved close to the squid's blood-red gaze, the sword clearly recognised by the creature.

"I'm sorry for disturbing your slumber," Harry informed the creature, holding the sword in one hand while he reached out with his hand and slowly petted the squid, its body feeling both soft, but slimy under his touch, the beast almost purring in delight as it felt a soft touch. "The one who placed those lights there only wanted to cause harm to others; my friend down there is innocent and my other friend means you no real harm; if you will release the girl in you embrace, I will heal your wounds and we will leave you be: please?"

There was a sound like whale-song and, as Harry watched, the squid began to move its remaining tentacles, slowly releasing Ginny from its grip; as he was about to reach out for her, Harry shook his head and looked to Neville, "Grab her and don't let go: if I'm right, you'll like what happens next: see you later."

With that, he apparated away from Neville and Ginny, the squid squealing with delight as it felt its dark familiarity returning, a part of its loyal subconscious to the human with the sword knowing that the day was coming where he would be needed and, on that day, the great beast would do as his master commanded.

_**WhoAmI?**_

"You…are…a…stupid…reckless…fool…Harry…Potter."

Harry could only smile as Hermione paused between each word to give him another longing kiss, her eyes watering as she looked to where Neville and Ginny were now sat at each other's side, the Lady of Gryffindor still holding onto her boyfriend as she asked, "So why is it that I can't hate you for what you did?"

"Because you knew I had to do it," Harry answered, watching as Hermione lay her head on his damp chest, her hand stroking her boyfriend as he ran his hand through her hair, "I wasn't about to let Dumbledore's plan come to pass, but I still can't believe that he would be so desperate as to use the giant squid in all this."

"And why didn't you grab Ginny?" asked Hermione, watching as Harry quickly flicked his wand at each of the returning champions, Fleur holding onto a silver-haired girl like she was the most important thing in her life.

"Because a charm was in place," Harry explained, "One that now affects Neville, but isn't as powerful on him because the emotions are already there."

"What charm and what emotions?" asked Hermione, but her question was answered when Ginny opened her eyes, the hour of time now passed; she seemed dazed and confused for a moment as she looked at Harry, but, when she looked up and saw Neville, Ginny gasped and looked back at Harry.

"Thank you," she whispered, a nod of acceptance being returned to her from the Tri-Lord.

"I used my power over the school to minimise the damage," he explained to her, "But the charm is there: you always said that you owed me your life and, judging by what I saw at the Yule Ball, I know there are feelings there; so, as payment for saving your life, I say that you will stay as close to Neville as I am to Hermione: do you accept?"

"I do," Ginny replied, watching as Neville took her chin in his hand, lifted her head to his and kissed her gently, both of them wrapping their arms around one another as Harry lay back on his bed.

"A binding charm," Harry explained to Hermione, "Binding their hearts together through mind and magic: had I done it, then I would have lost you Hermione, but now that I don't need to worry about that, I know who my love is."

"And I know my love is a genius," Hermione remarked, giving Harry another longing kiss; when she came up for air, she added, "And he is forgiven."

_**A shorter chapter 11, but enough to put across what everyone has been wondering: Dumbledore won't give up; Ginny and Neville are now together and Harry's power at Hogwarts continues to grow, but what will the aftermath be?**_

_**Also, what will Fleur's reaction be to Harry's unforeseen assistance in the second task?**_

_**Keep Reading to Find Out…**_

_**Next Chapter: Hermione has a request for Minerva and Remus regarding Harry's summer arrangements; it seems that a certain red-headed retard just can't get the message and Harry has a favour to ask of the goblin nation: its purpose – REVENGE!**_

_**Please Read and Review…**_

_**ALSO: If anyone wishes to have a crack at the challenge associated with this story – as seen as the first page in this fanfiction – then I have posted the challenge details in my forums;**_


	13. 12: Two Down, One To Go

Who Am I? A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Ginny

Draco/Luna

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

**_Review Answers:_**

**_Mrs Vega: A reasonable suggestion and one that I will take to heart; I actually enjoyed putting a spin on the tasks as it allows a chance for creativity;_**

**_Slytherin66: I'm not really looking to start some new fics at the moment, but I may do a Harry/Fleur if the inspiration comes to me;_**

**_MariusDarkwolf: Believe me my friend, I have it all planned out;_**

**ALSO: A Reminder: The challenge associated with this story can now be found in my forums – link is on my profile page – under my Challenges group; anyone wishing to take a crack at the challenge or have any comments regarding my fanfics can post their comments there;**

_"A binding charm," Harry explained to Hermione, "Binding their hearts together through mind and magic: had I done it, then I would have lost you Hermione, but now that I don't need to worry about that, I know who my love is."_

_"And I know my love is a genius," Hermione remarked, giving Harry another longing kiss; when she came up for air, she added, "And he is forgiven."_

Chapter 12: Two Down, One To Go

Harry and Hermione's peace in the Hospital Wing didn't last that much longer as the doors to the medi-wing flew open and Harry just stared straight ahead as Albus Dumbledore, Ludo Bagman, Madame Maxime and Igor Karkaroff walked into the room, Harry also noticing Severus, Minerva and Remus bringing up the rear.

"Lord Potter!" exclaimed Bagman, stopping next to Harry while the two visiting heads seemed to stand by their champions, "I'm afraid to do this, but I need to know: did you venture into the Black Lake at all during the last task?"

"I did," Harry replied, not bothering to hide the truth as he added, "But when you learn the reason behind this, you will know that my intentions do not interfere with the task at hand."

"Harry my boy," Dumbledore spoke up, his use of the words _my boy_ making Harry growl threateningly, the double-Founders Heir wishing he had his sword in his hand as Dumbledore continued, "You requested for Neville Longbottom to replace you in the Second Task and, from what I heard from the mer-people, there were five people down in the lake trying to rescue the four hostages."

"Oh really?" asked Harry, now rising from his bed, his eyes not on Dumbledore, but on the staff behind the man as he asked, "And tell me headmaster, did they tell you of the actions of the Hogwarts giant squid?"

"What are you talking about Harry?" asked Minerva, watching her House's lord growing slightly agitated by the actions being put before him.

"I'm talking about the abduction of Ginevra Molly Weasley," Harry answered, "Not to mention the last minute switch in hostages from my girlfriend to Miss Weasley, as well as disturbing the nocturnal den of the squid with an array of Light Orb Charms that drove the poor creature berserk and trapped Ginny in its grip. If Cedric Diggory hadn't informed me of the fact that Ginny was nowhere near the rendezvous site for the champions, then I daresay that my vassal and second could have lost his life."

"So you do not deny your place in the Second Task?" asked Bagman.

"That depends," Harry replied, "Do you deny the knowledge that Miss Weasley was in danger?"

"Harry," Dumbledore smiled, Harry throwing up his mental shields as he felt the attempted mind push, "The aim of the task was to rescue your hostage and, given that you interfered, I can only see fit that the judging panel award you last place and deny you the knowledge of the third task."

"You can try Albus," a new voice snarled, Harry smiling as Ragnok appeared, the goblin bowing low to his clan mate, "My brother: is Miss Granger safe?"

"She is," Harry replied, smiling fiendishly as he asked, "What do you have to report?"

"We contacted a goblin linguist," Ragnok explained, "One who speaks Mermish and had him communicate the events of the task: according to the Mermaid Chieftess, Miss Weasley was indeed placed within the nest of the squid and, as soon as the task started, the charms that drove the animal insane were triggered."

"A blatant attempt at sabotage," Harry explained, before he turned to Madam Pomfrey, who was watching the confrontation with as much interest as everyone else as he then asked, "Madam Pomfrey, would you please act as a witness to my claims?"

"O-of course Harry," Poppy answered, "What claims are they?"

"The claims of a Binding charm of great magical proportions being placed on Miss Weasley," explained Harry, "A charm that would have split me from Hermione and forced Ginny and I into a relationship: do you accept my claims?"

"I do and vouch for them," Poppy answered, looking to a stunned Bagman as she continued, "If Harry had even touched Ginny, then his bond of love with Miss Hermione Granger would have meant nothing to him as he would have been forced into a magical binding contract with Miss Ginevra Weasley."

"But who would be so cruel as to do that to two people who clearly love one another?" asked Minerva, though the looks that she was getting from Harry seemed to answer that question; she said nothing more on it as she then saw the looks shared between Neville and Ginny. "And that bond now affects the young Longbottom?"

"Not exactly," Harry explained, before he pulled out his elder wand as he explained, "When I picked up on the magical traces, I knew that someone had planned to sabotage my hostage and exchange her with Ginny. So, as Heir of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin, I tapped into the magic of the school and dampened the effect of the charm so that it could only be triggered and bound if the feelings were there."

"Which they are," Ginny piped up, "I was Neville's date to the Yule Ball and we've had a strong friendship since then; to know that I owe Harry my life once again is scary, but he requested that I love Neville as he loves Hermione and I accepted that."

"And," Harry explained, flicking his wand at Neville; as everyone watched, a small marble flew from Neville's pocket, before the same marble flew from the robes of Gabrielle Delacour, Millicent Bulstrode and Cho Chang, "If you were to check the magical traces on these portkeys, you would find that it was Neville, Cedric, Fleur and Viktor that triggered them, meaning I simply interfered to save the life of another and not to interfere in the task."

"I think," Severus spoke up, looking to Harry, "That Lord Potter should not be punished for his bravery, but should instead be commended; as we know from your report Albus, Potter did manage to free Miss Delacour, which enabled her to rescue her hostage and he did not interfere directly as he was informed of the danger by Mr Diggory."

"I agree with Severus," Bagman commented, looking to Madame Maxime and Karkaroff as he asked, "Igor, Olympe, what say you?"

"Ze boy iz truly an 'onourable man," explained Madame Maxime, "I say that he iz to be given full marks and my personal _merci_."

"Merci beaucoup, Madame Maxime," Harry replied in fluent French. "Mr Karkaroff?"

"It is no real concern of mine either way," Igor replied, "Viktor will succeed this little boy and Durmstrang will be victorious."

"Then we are in agreement," Bagman nodded, smiling broadly as he then addressed the champions. "For impressionable bravery in the face of extreme danger and for standing by their beliefs and all rescuing their champions within the time limit, all four champions receive full marks out of fifty for extreme courage and moral fibre. As it stands with those results, Diggory and Potter are tied first with one hundred and twenty-three points, second is Miss Delacour with ninety-seven and Mr Krum is third with ninety-six; now, the third task will be taking place on the twenty-fourth of June and the champions will be notified of the task's context exactly one month beforehand."

"No," Harry remarked, earning a look of shock, fury and confusion from those around him.

"I beg your pardon Lord Potter?" asked Bagman.

"I said no," Harry replied, his voice calm as he explained, "No-one knew until today as to who had been taken and, quite clearly, the rules had been bent by the actions of some master manipulator – his eyes switched between Bagman and Dumbledore – before the life of an innocent was at risk; so no, Mr Bagman, we won't wait three months to learn of the task. As Lord of Gryffindor and Slytherin, I request the knowledge of the Third Task be given out right here and now!"

"Now see here," Dumbledore began, but Bagman cut him off with a gesture of his hand as he stared at Harry.

"I will oblige your request Lord Potter," he explained, before taking a breath and, looking to the champions, continued, "The Third Task is simply a maze of magical defence and creatures lined with charms and riddles that will all, we hope, lead you to the centre of the maze where the Triwizard Cup will be placed. Hagrid is providing a number of creatures...then there will be spells that must be broken...all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champions who are leading on points will get a head start into the maze." Bagman grinned at Harry and Cedric. "Then Miss Delacour will enter...then Mr Krum. But you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?"

Harry, who knew only too well the kind of creatures that Hagrid was likely to provide for an event like this thanks to Hermione's descriptions, thought it was unlikely to be any fun at all. However, he nodded politely like the other champions.

"Very well...if you haven't got any questions," Bagman smiled, Harry politely backing down to be with his girlfriend as the staff all left the Hospital Wing; however, as Harry was easing into the warm, comfortable embrace of his Golden Princess, Viktor spoke up.

"Lord Potter, I vant to thank you for all you haff done for uz; now it comes down to ziz; may ze best man vin."

"Don't worry," Cedric laughed, a note of challenge in his voice, "He will."

"Excusez-moi," Fleur retorted, "But I think zat you monsieurs will be left in the, how you say, dust by moi."

"No matter who wins," Harry finished, easing into Hermione's embrace, "We'll all know that they will deserve it."

"You're right there Harry," Cedric nodded, though Harry could feel a strange sensation of allegiance coming from his fellow Vindicator.

**_WhoAmI?_**

As they entered March the weather became drier, but cruel winds skinned their hands and faces every time they went out onto the grounds. There were delays in the post because the owls kept being blown off course. Now that he didn't have to worry about the mystery surrounding the task, Harry spent many an evening – usually accompanied by a human Sirius – researching and practicing the necessary spells within the Chamber of Pride, Hermione being more than willing to aid him with research as well as soothing massages afterwards.

As the month of March fell away, Hermione began to think about the upcoming summer and, though he didn't say anything, it was clear to her that Harry was also thinking about the summer; there were times he would hesitate with his work or seem to stare into space, before shuddering as if someone had walked over his grave. At one point, Hermione had required a Dreamless Sleep Potion from Severus to aid Harry sleep after he'd dreamed about his time at Privet Drive and, through the night, Hermione had felt like her boyfriend had suffered a relapse as she had stayed with him through the night, massaging his back and keeping him calm.

On March 31st, Hermione explained to Harry that it was probably time that he speak with Ragnok about possible places he could stay over the summer and, as Lord of Three Houses, there was a possibility that Harry had access to several manor homes or holiday villas. While Harry prepared for his meeting and sent a message via Dobby to his clan-brother, Hermione slipped out with Padfoot at her heels, making for Minerva's office where, as she had hoped, she found Remus waiting with the Gryffindor Head.

Once the necessary charms were performed, Sirius became human and stretched out a kink in his back, a groan escaping his lips as he explained, "I understand that it's necessary for me to remain hidden, but sometimes I can't stand being Padfoot for such a long time."

"Then why won't you let Harry help you?" asked Remus, laughing at his old friend's discomfort before he grew serious. "You know that he wants to and wishes you to be there as his family, don't you?"

"I do," Sirius answered, "But he doesn't need to worry about that at the moment: let's get the summer out of the way and then we'll deal with my little problem."

"Besides," Hermione put in, "Remember what Harry told us about his visionary visit from Riddle?"

Everyone nodded, though McGonagall looked as nervous and filled with angst as she always did when speaking about the upcoming relationship between the Pure Prince and the Dark Lord.

"Well," Hermione continued, "Harry could request Tom to surrender Wormtail and then Sirius could be free."

"That is a possibility," Sirius agreed, "Though Peter's ran away before and there's nothing stopping him this time."

"Never mind that for now," Remus spoke up, "What do you want to speak about Hermione?"

"Harry, of course," replied the young Granger, "We need to figure out a way to stop Dumbledore from forcing him back toPrivet Drive, otherwise, come September, we could have the weakened, scared Harry that we saw back in November."

"And we all know how much you want to avoid that," Minerva nodded, "But what do you suggest we do Hermione?"

"Well," Hermione suggested, "What Harry needs is someone who he can call his guardians that he knows he'll trust: have any of you spoken to Professor Snape about the honorary position yet?"

"Not really," Remus answered, fully aware of the conversation that Hermione was talking about, "Though he does know that Sirius is Padfoot thanks to the old dog paying him a visit a while ago."

"Who are you calling an old dog?" asked Sirius, half offended as he looked to Hermione, "Though he is right about my visit to Severus and, actually Remus, I spoke with him there and then: I felt it was my right as Harry's appointed godfather."

"Can we see that?" asked Hermione, indicating a pensieve in the corner of Minerva's office.

"I see no reason why not," Sirius replied, walking over to the stone basin, before he withdrew the information from his mind and dropped it into the pensieve, the assembled party gathering around him as they watched the memory of an alliance that no-one would believe had been formed…

_Memory Start_

_Severus Snape had known from the moment Poppy revealed her scans that Harry would be powerful, but, when Minerva and Lupin…no, Remus told him about the events in the Common Room, Severus' mind was made up: Harry wasn't just powerful, he was a raging volcano that needed to be calmed or, at the very least, had his destructive force under his control before anything else happened._

_Then the walking garbage disposal known as Ron Weasley had opened his mouth and taken part in a flying lesson…without a broom._

_Seeing that, Severus had begun to accelerate his plans to help Harry: with Minerva announcing the Yule Ball, Severus knew he could use the Christmas Holidays to help Harry turn his life around._

_If only he had…_

_The sound of knocking distracted the man's thoughts; gently reaching for his wand, he called, "Come in!"_

_The door opened and Severus' eyes widened, "You? What are you doing here?"_

_"I'm here to end it Severus…for Harry's sake," answered Sirius, closing the door behind him and, reaching into his robe, cast several powerful privacy charms as he looked to his one-time enemy. "You don't have to hide it from me: Hermione told me everything and, from the way that you seem to be cutting back on your comments about my pup, it's clear you're starting to care for him."_

_"So what if I am Black?" asked Severus, watching as the Animagus stepped around the desk and perched himself next to his enemy, "Why should I trust you and not throw you in Azkaban?"_

_"Because you know that would affect Harry," Sirius answered, "He doesn't remember me yet, but I need to know that there are people out there who will watch out for him. Minerva told me that she was the one to suggest that I stay by Harry's side and I'm not going to let her down, but, in the event I can't protect him, I need someone who will do whatever it takes to protect him."_

_"And you think that's me?"_

_"If you truly mean what you say about being sorry to Lily," Sirius replied, watching as Severus flinched at the memory of his former friend. "He _is_ her son Severus and you are the only other one she would trust with my pup's life; so, I'm here not only to end it, but to offer you a place at Harry's side where he can be safe."_

_"And how would I do that?" asked Severus, "I may have gained the boy's trust, but Albus…"_

_"Albus doesn't matter anymore," Sirius explained, "Or don't you think I know about your plan to have Harry at Voldemort's side? I know what he is Severus; what he _really_ is and what his power can do when it matures: therefore, if you're watching Harry, then Albus will believe that Harry has one of the Order watching him permanently."_

_"And what would I have to do Black?"_

_"Simple," Sirius answered, "Call in the life debt owed to James…by becoming Harry's honorary godfather."_

_"Serious?"_

_"That's me," laughed the Black Lord, a part of him slightly aware of a smirk at the edge of Severus' mouth, before he added, "I don't want this to be the end Severus; when I reveal myself to my pup, I want to know he'll be safe no matter what happens to me: he may not recall what happened, but he has power. In my form, I am the dog at the heels of his master and I am Harry's best friend and protector: I've already had a warning from Hermione about my patience and a plan that will help us out, but Harry needs a human as well as an animal. Severus, I choose you to be that man and help him come back to us."_

_"Very well," Severus replied, before he looked to Sirius sceptically as he asked, "What's the plan by the way?"_

_"To change my colours," Sirius answered, "So that I stay by Harry's side: I'll be a different colour as if I was a different breed."_

_"You mean like a Dalmatian?" asked Severus, a sneering grin on his face as Sirius' face paled._

_"You swore," Sirius gasped…_

_Memory End_

"That's enough of that I think," Sirius laughed, pulling out of the memory to a look of shock and disbelief from the others in the room, Hermione trying not to laugh as to what she had heard in Sirius' voice.

"Why do you hate Dalmatians so much?" asked Hermione, earning a laugh from Remus as she looked to him.

"Believe me," Remus answered, "You don't want to know, but, getting back to what we're talking about: Severus can be trusted with Harry's safety and, if we speak with Ragnok, we can have one of the manors opened for Harry with Severus and either Minerva or Amelia watching over him."

"Has Harry met her yet?" asked Sirius.

"Not yet," Minerva answered, looking to her student as she asked, "What do you say Hermione?"

"Well," answered Hermione, "I was hoping to introduce Harry to my parents so that he could gain their approval for being my boyfriend, but I agree with the plan for Professor Snape and Madam Bones."

"Plus," Sirius added, "This band of friends he has…the Vindicators?"

Hermione nodded;

"The Vindicators," Sirius explained, "Once Harry has done what he needs to do concerning Tom Riddle, they'll still stand with him, not to mention his alliance with Neville and Malfoy; now, I won't deny that I'm not happy with that, but it's Harry's life and I'm not going to interfere. So, with them at his side, he'll have his friends as well as his guardians watching him and, knowing Ragnok, Harry will possibly have a small guard of goblin warriors at his call as well."

"So for now," Remus summed it up, "We…wait?"

"We wait," Sirius answered, "I'll speak with Severus about Harry's guardianship and, in the meantime, I think you and Minerva should go to Gringotts with Harry and get the wills of Lily and James unsealed so that Harry can access the Potter houses and his rights as a Triple-Class Lord."

"All right," Remus nodded, "In the meantime, we'll continue to help him prepare for the Third Task and see to it that our promise to make him the Champion comes to pass."

Hermione nodded in agreement, a part of her still slightly concerned for the Pure Prince that had captured her heart; if he were going to be watched by Severus and Amelia, could he allow himself to have a family again?

Only time would tell…

**_WhoAmI?_**

As the weeks leading up towards the Third Task continued to drip away, Harry found his mind a mixture of emotions that threatened to blow from within him at any moment: he was yet to hear a response from Ragnok with regards to his summer arrangements; however, on the other hand, he had a feeling that if he did hear word, it would be through Remus or Minerva.

However, Harry had another worry on his mind: June twenty-fourth was the date that Tom had given him to make his decision as to either compete in the seemingly inevitable Second War or to have the peaceful life he had dreamed about for so long and, so far, Harry had been yet to make a decision, but now, with just two months before judgment day, Harry knew he had to make a choice.

Sitting alone on the balcony of his bedroom, Harry closed his eyes and tried to recall what Tom had said to him with regards to his choice, a part of him knowing that, either way he looked at it, the return of the Dark Lord was inevitable…

_Memory Start_

_"I think," Tom remarked, realising he was obviously not making any real sense to Harry, "That it's best I start at the beginning; you see Harry, there are those in the world that believe all magic to be either light or dark, but, when you were born, there was a very rare astrological event: a pure, planetary alignment that affected all of magic. In the midst of the alignment, at its equinox, you could say, your Mother, dear sweet Lily Potter had you and, when you were born, there were a select few figures who sensed your arrival: I was one of them."_

_"And what does this have to do with you saving my parents?" asked Harry._

_"I'm getting there," Tom answered, his voice calm and understanding as he continued, "As I told you Harry, I was one of the figures that sensed your birth into the world, but this is because your very existence is said to threaten the very meaning of light and dark magic, which, in essence, marks you as something that shouldn't exist: a Pure Wizard."_

_"Pure?" asked Harry, "What's that supposed to mean?"_

_"Before light and dark magic were officially classed," Tom explained, "There was a third level of magic known as Pure magic, a level of magic that had no real consequences and could not be equalled or beaten in battle. The last Pure Wizard was someone who you have probably heard about before even my time; a wizard known as Gellert Grindelwald and, when he lived, his chosen path as a Pure wizard made the wizarding community see him as a Dark Lord."_

_"Really?" asked Harry, "So what are you saying? I'm some Pure wizard who basically can't be classed as a real wizard?"_

_"Not anymore, no," Tom answered, "You see Harry, there is an old saying that I try to teach to all who serve me and the reason that I teach this saying is so that, when the Pure wizard comes along and claims his magical abilities, my legions of followers will be the first to aid him restore the Balance between Light and Darkness. This, Harry, is why I was trying to save your parents on that fated night in Halloween: your Father, James Potter, was a man who was purely aligned with the Light and would not relent his decision, not even for his own son, but your Mother Lily was more a Grey-Level witch, which meant that she hadn't truly made her decision and, while she could be swayed, she never realised that she had the choice solely for the child that she had brought into this world, you, Harry Potter, Pure Lord or, to give you a real title, the Prince of Magic."_

_"But then," Harry remarked, "Why did you kill my parents and, if you didn't, then what truly happened that night?"_

_"All right Harry," Tom sighed, running a hand through his black hair, "If you wish to know the truth, then I will tell you: I went there that night, knowing full well that your parents were never protected nor were they hidden; in fact, as of the beginning of Halloween night, their location was as open to me as Hogwarts is to you. I knew that this would be my one chance to protect your Mother and give her the full explanation that, one day soon, I will also give to you: when I arrived at Number One, Godric's Hollow, I found the door to your home blasted off and your Father seemingly driven to insanity by some unknown affliction. I walked through the door and, as soon as he saw me, his delusions ordered him to cry out to your Mother; he told her to take you and run, before he fought me in battle. At one point, I erected a shield that made sure I could not kill him, but I did not count on your Father's strength: he tried blasting me out of the house and, in place of my shield, his own spell rebounded and knocked him through a brick wall. I knew that I would not earn favour with Lily if it seemed like I had killed him, so, to protect the truth, I cast green sparks around the room and went to check on your Father."_

_"Are you saying he killed himself?" asked Harry, looking to Tom with a sense of calmness and a partial understanding of what was being said._

_"No," answered Tom, "When I checked on James, he was still alive, but barely: he looked me in the eyes and whispered that he was sorry, before pleading with me to protect his son; when I nodded to him in response, I scanned his mind and found a latent form of the Imperious Curse upon his magic, forcing him to do battle with me and protect Lily. I left James after that and climbed the stairs, where I found Lily talking to you, telling you that you were to be safe, to be strong and that you should know you were loved."_

_Harry had to wipe his eyes as a dim and distant memory of that very moment burned through his mind; he could still feel someone stroking his cheek and warm, damp tears dripping down his face as he couldn't understand what was happening._

_"When she saw me," Tom continued, "She went into a rage and asked me how I could kill James: I tried to tell her to stand aside, knowing that I could still fulfill James' last request and, as if she feared I was going to kill you, she begged for me to kill her instead, but to leave you alone. I didn't want to do it Harry; I tried to convince her to step aside so that I could honour your Father's dying wish, but she was a mother protecting her child. Though no-one else would admit it, I then told her that I was sorry and that you would be safe…then…then I…"_

_"Cast the Killing Curse Avada Kedavra," Harry sniffed, "Robbing her of her life."_

_"And ensuring that your life would be safe," Tom insisted, now taking Harry's hands as he spoke up, "Killing rips the soul apart Harry and I knew that my knowledge would come in handy one day…so, as you're probably aware, I took my soul piece…"_

_"And turned me into a Horcrux," Harry nodded, "I am aware of that, yes, but I still don't understand…Tom: you could have taken me away and raised me as your son; you could have honoured my parents' wishes and raised me to be the Prince you say that I am, so why didn't you?"_

_"One word," Tom answered, "Dumbledore: he turned up, challenged me and we engaged in a wizard's duel: I wanted to protect you Harry and so I did cast Avada Kedavra once more; however, Dumbledore seemed to understand what I wanted and, in a split second, he had somehow taken my curse and rebounded it onto you: I still hear your screams as my curse marks you with the scar on your forehead, as well as my own screams as your Horcrux and your Mother's sacrifice destroy my body. Harry, I don't know what happened after that, but the fact that it has taken thirteen years to reach you tells me that you have not had it as easy as Lily and James had hoped."_

_"And you would be right," Harry nodded, "He left me with the Dursleys, my Mother's relatives and then he bound my magic behind a powerful set of blocks: after that, he made sure I couldn't touch the power within me without having my scar burn with pain. Tom, there's something you need to know: you see, I had some kind of accident earlier in the year and lost all my memories; however, when I recovered, all my magic came back to me and I even discovered I was the Heir of Slytherin."_

_"Then your Mother's sacrifice was not for nothing," Tom remarked, a smile crossing his face as he explained, "Physically Harry, there is no spell strong enough to combat the AK Curse, but, if I am right, then your Mother's sacrifice must have somehow fused her love with you and ensured that you were safe."_

_"That must have been the counter-measure I was told about," Harry agreed, looking to Tom as he added, "I was told that my magic could only reverse these blocks on an injury that could have left me comatose, but Tom; that's not the point: what I'm trying to say is that I don't even remember our previous encounters. I had a very loyal friend tell me about them and I'm still determined to follow my destiny; I don't want to fight you, but I'm not going to serve you either."_

_"I thought as much," Tom nodded, "In that case, Harry, would you consider taking the position I was going to give you? As my ward? I can teach you everything you need to know about the Pure Magic and can also help you discover the secrets behind your unique powers and, on my own life, I swear that I will not cause harm to anyone connected to you and your destiny."_

_"Do you mean that?"_

_"I do, but first I need to complete the rituals necessary for my resurrection and, for that, I need your help: it's how and why I was able to bring you here into the ether, so we could talk and I could give you the facts. Once I return to the world as the so-called Dark Lord, I will set out to achieve your Father's dying wishes and keep my promise to your Mother."_

_"What will you do if I say no?" asked Harry, slightly confused as to why he was even considering the offer._

_"I will let you leave the battles to Albus and I," Tom explained, "Harry, I only seek to honour your parents' wishes and, though I failed in saving them, I will not fail to keep my word in keeping you safe. The war between Albus and I need not concern you; I will let you have your life back and, if you choose to decline my offer, then I shall respect your wishes and never bother you again; I will leave Hogwarts and all who follow you safe and sound and I will never bother your life again…unless you're still loyal to Albus that is."_

_"I'm not," Harry answered, his eyes on the Dark Lord, "And I can't answer you yet: instead, I will consider your offer and give you an answer as and when you return to this world; what is it you need from me?"_

_"Your blood."_

_"Then I will willingly give it to you either way," Harry explained, his hand on his Crest, "As Lord Slytherin, I swear it Tom, but I will not give you my answer until the first opportunity after your resurrection: can you allow that?"_

_"I can," Tom nodded, "And I will also tell you the date that I will need you: June 24th, which is also the date of the Third Task in this Tournament: now, on that note, there's something else you may like to know."_

_"What's that?" asked Harry, glad of the timescale that the Dark Lord was allowing him._

_"Just who it is that put your name in the Goblet of Fire…Barty Crouch Jr!"_

_Memory End_

Snapping his eyes open, Harry tried not to think about the second mystery that was bothering him: who was Barty Crouch and how had he managed to put Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire?

Instead, he thought on what Tom had said about what would happen after the ritual had been performed: Harry would have the choice to become the ward of the Dark Lord and train in the ways of Pure magic, making him far stronger than ever and also allowing the Dark Lord to somehow keep the word of his parents.

On the other hand, if Harry said no, then Tom would leave him be and the war between Dumbledore and the Dark would not involve Harry, meaning he could have a life with Hermione, grow up strong and powerful, a Lord of three families and a powerful wizard.

'What do I choose?' thought Harry, staring out at the April sunset, 'And how will I know that my choice is the right one?'

Silence was his answer…

**_Chapter 12 and Harry has dilemmas to get over while Hermione and the team have a plan for Harry's summer, but what will the Third Task reveal and what will Harry choose?_**

**_Also, will Harry make the right choice for the right reason?_**

**_Keep Reading to Find Out…_**

**_Next Chapter: The Third Task and the ritual are here and Harry makes his decision; THAT'S ALL I'M GOING TO SAY!_**

**_Please Read and Review…_**


	14. 13: The Third Task: Harry's Choice

Who Am I? A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Ginny

Draco/Luna

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

_**Review Answers:**_

_**To all who reviewed the last chapter, I won't answer them because it would give too much away, so, with that in mind, it's thanks to:**_

_**MariusDarkwolf, Blueberry Babe, LovinLife710, bosk, Rainbow2007, ILoveGeorgeEads, Goldencoyote, Slytherin66, hpnut1, Airlady, Zamia and dennisud;**_

_**All reviews are appreciated and I always enjoy reading what you say about each chapter; so, with that in mind, here it is: Harry's Choice!**_

'_What do I choose?' thought Harry, staring out at the April sunset, 'And how will I know that my choice is the right one?'_

_Silence was his answer…_

Chapter 13: The Third Task

The summer skies over Hogwarts were filled with sun and clouds, though within its walls, a storm was brewing; the four Champions were eagerly awaiting the day of the Third Task and, amongst all of them, only one of the Champions had a harder task to worry about than the maze.

Harry, sat on his bedroom balcony, one leg dangling over the side almost nonchalantly, seemed to be locked in a trance as yet again, he found himself asking the questions, 'My freedom or my place in this war? Tom or my family? Ward and warrior or betrothed and brother? I simply can't decide and the Third Task is getting nearer.'

Harry was so fixed on his task that he didn't notice he had company until a pair of familiar arms snaked around his neck, a very familiar furry presence nuzzling his palm as he sat there. With a smile, Harry muttered, "I'm not expecting anyone Sirius so you can change back and, as for you my love, keep yourself there."

There was a sigh of contentment from Hermione before Harry heard Sirius' voice speaking to him as he asked, "Nervous pup?"

"Not really," lied Harry, his eyes staring at the scene outside his chambers, "But I don't really need to worry: I mean, I know what to expect and there won't really be any surprises because I know what he's doing in the Third Task, so, aside from ensuring that I emerge as Champion, I have no real worries."

"So you've made your choice regarding his offer have you Harry?" asked Hermione, Harry mentally slapping himself as he realised that he shouldn't have bothered trying to hide his fears from the girl who had his heart.

"No," Harry admitted, "Sad to say that I haven't Hermione, but how do I choose between the Dark Side of Magic and knowing who I really am over the freedom of who I really am as Lord of Three Houses and my place in the world as your boyfriend?"

"You don't have to choose anything really," Sirius informed him, joining Harry on the balcony, his back to the sunlight, "You choose to accept whatever path is rightfully yours by following your heart and not your head. We all know that he told you that, if you chose not to accept his offer then he would leave both you and Hogwarts alone, so you would be free to have a life."

"And yet," Harry remarked, "If I choose to side with him, I have the chance to unlock the potential of a magic that is older and more powerful than Dumbledore could ever understand."

"Harry," whispered Hermione, placing a soft kiss on her boyfriend's neck, "I want you to know that whatever you choose to do, I _will_ stand with you no matter what and so will the Vindicators."

"And me," Sirius added, "Not to mention Remus, Severus and Minerva and, if push comes to shove, then I'm sure we could arrange for you to be protected: remember, one of the Vindicators has a relation with the Head of the DMLE: even if you chose to discover your true power, I'm sure that even Amelia Bones wouldn't stand in your way, not if her niece stands with you."

"I guess you're right," Harry smiled, still looking into the sunlight as he felt Hermione's kisses work their way to his cheeks, "But I still don't know what path to choose; and to follow my heart makes this as confusing as ever."

"Why?" asked Hermione.

"Because my heart is as undecided as my head," Harry told her, finally turning away and returning her kisses with a warm, passionate kiss to the lips, "Because no matter which way I decide, I know that I still have you and you still have me."

"To the end of time my love," Hermione whispered, both of them aware of Sirius becoming Snuffles as he left them alone, "To the end of time."

_**WhoAmI?**_

Harry's nerves mounted as June the twenty-fourth drew closer, but they were not as bad as those he had felt before the first and second tasks. For one thing, he was confident that, this time, he had done everything in his power to prepare for the task. For another, this was the final hurdle, and however well or badly he did, the tournament would at last be over, which would be an enormous relief.

Breakfast was a very noisy affair at the Gryffindor table on the morning of the third task. The post owls appeared, bringing Harry a good-luck card from Sirius. It was only a piece of parchment, folded over and bearing a muddy paw print on its front, but Harry appreciated it all the same. He knew that Sirius would have preferred to give his well-wishes in person, but, due to the fact that the stands surrounding the maze would be packed and that Dumbledore would be watching for any signs of deception had given Harry enough reason to warn Sirius to either stay away or remain with Ragnok and Hermione – Harry entrusting the safety of his girl to no-one else – in his newly-coloured form.

Hermione gave him a warm good-luck kiss on the cheek before she whispered to him, "Whatever you choose to do, I will always love you, but if you choose not to come back, I will hunt you down and kill you myself."

"I understand love," Harry smiled, watching as the Vindicators throughout the hall gave him a warm and pleasurable salute of luck and hope, Harry noticing that Cedric Diggory seemed rather distracted and Malfoy was actually smiling at Harry from the Slytherin Table – Harry had decided to join the Gryffindor Table for meals since the capture and mesmerising of Hermione and Ginny.

Turning back to the Gryffindors, Harry noticed Ginny and Neville were now visibly linking hands, both of them happier than they had ever been while, down the table, Fred and George Weasley seemed to suddenly turn into a pair of bodyguards as they moved to Harry's side, Fred on Harry's side while George sat next to Hermione.

"Harry," whispered Fred, pouring a fresh batch of pumpkin juice for the Gryffindor Lord as he spoke, "Just wanted to warn you: before the task, the Champions get the chance to meet with their families and supporters."

"I know," Harry smirked, before he dropped what he knew was a masterful bombshell for the twins, "I have Messer Moony meeting with me along with Professor McGonagall: they _are _my Vassals after all."

"M-M-M-M-" stammered George, dropping the jug he was holding, spraying milk over his robe.

Hermione shook her head, before she cleaned the mess of the boy's robe as Harry finished, "Moony, yes: as in the Marauder; your idol; the man who, with a little persuasion from me, has managed to acquire the means for that little business you two wish to set up."

"Really?" asked Fred, before the penny finally dropped as he asked, "Wait a minute: you said that Moony was your Vassal?"

"Yes I did," Harry laughed, knowing full well where this was going.

"But that would mean," gasped George, finally getting it himself, "Moony is…was…is…"

"Remus Lupin," the three of them chorused, though Harry was a little less enthusiastic than the twins as he then asked Fred, "What's your point about the families?"

Fred's answer had Harry's blood boiling with expectant rage, a sense of manipulation in the air as he answered, "Mum's coming."

"Is she?" asked Harry, instinctively clutching the hilt of his sword as he felt Hermione's hand on his own, "Well then, I guess I'll be saying hello."

"Harry," whispered Hermione, "Don't do anything you'll regret."

"I won't love," Harry replied, kissing Hermione on her knuckles as he turned to Fred and George as he asked, "By the way, you and the Vindicators: you're still with me, right?"

"To the end," Fred answered.

"No matter what you choose," George explained, "We stand with you…"

"My lord," they then saluted, Harry noticing Ginny and Neville following suit as the Tri-Lord shook his head in amusement.

"Thanks guys," Harry replied, returning to his breakfast.

_**WhoAmI?**_

The Third Task was set to start at 6pm, which meant that the meet and greet was set for midday, which would give the Champions plenty of time to speak with families and take a stroll to quell any last-minute nerves. When Harry saw Remus and Minerva waiting for him, he smiled with welcome as Remus held him in a warm, almost fatherly-hug before Minerva whispered, "Harry, there's something we want to warn you about."

"You mean that Mrs Weasley is here?" asked Harry, "Don't worry Minerva, the Vindicators already warned me, which reminds me: Remus, would you mind if I introduced the twins to their hero?"

"I don't think I would." Remus smiled, watching as Minerva left their side, the werewolf looking around in a manner that could only be described as being alert, "On a more personal note: it's taken me a long time and a lot of assistance from Ragnok, but I finally managed to get you out of Privet Drive."

"That's brilliant!" Harry grinned, his eyes shining as he felt a sense of true freedom rising within him, "So they'll never be able to hurt me anymore right?"

"No they won't cub," Remus replied, before his smile became almost forced as he added, "However, there was one little stipulation and, if you didn't accept it, then you'd have to go back."

"Never!" snarled Harry, wind blowing all around him as he looked to Remus, "What's the stipulation?"

"Harry," Remus warned him, "I tried; I did everything I could to keep him out of it but…"

"What," Harry repeated, "Is the stipulation Remus?"

Remus sighed, before he explained, "You spend this summer…at the Burrow!"

"And who orchestrated that?" asked Harry, his tone still dangerous, though the winds were dying down: he knew who the Burrow belonged to and, though he couldn't confirm it, he had a sneaking suspicion who the conductor to this little orchestra had been.

"Dumbledore," Remus explained, "According to him, you have nowhere that you can _legally_ acquire because you have no recognised guardian: when I tried to explain that you had Vassals, a member of the Ministry named Dolores Umbridge asked if they thought a werewolf made a reasonable guardian and, Harry, I'm sorry," he lowered his head and Harry, magic peaking once more, though he did all he could to keep it under control, "I lost my temper."

"Don't be sorry Remus," Harry sighed, "You were played by the best of them: if the Burrow, home of the Weasleys, is to be my place of residence for the summer, then so be it; however," he grinned slyly as he saw Remus lift his head, a look of curiosity on his face.

"However?" he asked, feeling like he had once before; as if he were about to be informed of some master prank.

"I have to stay at the Burrow over the summer, this is true," Harry then revealed his teeth as he added, "But it doesn't say that I have to stay _in_ the Burrow, does it?"

"No," Remus replied, realising where Harry was going with this.

"Contact Ragnok," Harry instructed his Vassal, "Then see if you can speak to Neville about joining us: leave the rest to me."

Remus gave the expectant bow of respect that a Vassal shows his or her Lord, "As you wish milord."

"Harry dear!" called a high-pitched voice, Harry's shark-like smile fading as he turned to see Mrs Weasley approaching with a tall pair of men; one was dressed in shabby robes and had short-cut hair; the other had long red hair and a fang-shaped earring hanging from his right ear, his robes indicating status as they were decorated with the Gringotts Crest.

"That's Bill," Remus whispered, "He works for Gringotts: you could inform him of your message and he would see it delivered."

"Why?" asked Harry, his smile as warm as it had been for Remus, even _if_ it were forced.

"Because he's a clan brother like you," Remus answered, "I don't know the exact details, but apparently he is held in pretty high regards."

"I see," Harry replied, before he reached into his robes and withdrew his wand, the motion revealing the sword of Gryffindor at his belt as he pointed it at Mrs Weasley, his tone rising as he spoke to the newcomer, "Not another step Lady Weasley: what someone was trying to do by inviting you as my family representative, I don't know, but, thanks to your idiot son and your oh so thoughtful advice, I no longer had to hide that I am not the Harry Potter they knew, but someone far different."

"What Harry's trying to say Molly," Remus warned her, Harry knowing that the full moon wasn't too far off, so pissing him off would be a bad idea, "Is that if you wish to earn his respect, we can start with an apology."

"An apology that we are willing to give," Mr Weasley remarked, holding out his hand as he exclaimed, "As Lord of the Weasley Family, I offer my hand in apology and a chance to reunite our friendship with House Potter."

"Oh shut up Arthur!" hissed Molly, Harry suddenly getting an image of a dog and his master as Mr Weasley visibly flinched, but the hand was not removed; instead, Mrs Weasley added, "I will willingly apologise if Harry answers this question: has he left _her_ and given just rewards to Ron for the injuries he caused?"

"I can assure you Mrs Weasley," Harry replied, his voice indicating a threat while remaining civil, "I made sure that Ronald was given his just desserts, or didn't you hear that he's now a Slytherin?"

"WHAT?" Yelled Molly, Harry not even flinching from the woman as she asked, "And the bitch?"

"Big mistake Molly," Remus growled, Harry now unsheathing his sword as he pointed it at Mrs Weasley, his emerald eyes filled with fire.

"Molly Weasley," Harry growled, "As Lord of Gryffindor and Slytherin, I am ordering you off the premises of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, will you accept?"

"I will not bow to the will of some _boy_!" Molly hissed, Harry's eyes now like emerald infernos as he listened to her, "Especially one who allows some mudblood freak to take him away from someone as proud as my Ginny and…AH!"

Harry had heard enough; hearing those two curse words that he had been forced to endure had been bad enough, but insulting Hermione, as any in Hogwarts should know, was the final straw. Harry had reacted with wandless magic and summoned flames from the tip of his sword, the fire now burning Molly's face in the same manner that Ronald had been burned.

"Never," Harry growled, "_Ever_ insult my girlfriend in my presence: your Ginny is perfectly happy to stand with her real boyfriend and the only Weasley who is possibly worse than your son, Molly, is _you!_ Now, I won't ask so nicely again: leave this school or you will discover what happened when your son dared to insult Hermione the first time. Mr Weasley, Bill," he then turned to the two Weasleys and, to Remus' surprise, Harry seemed to cheer up as he explained, "The two of you are here to watch me compete and I am thankful for that: consider yourselves my honoured guests."

"Thank you Lord Potter," Arthur bowed, Bill following suit.

Harry, however, just laughed as he explained, "Please Arthur, Bill; call me Harry."

As he reached out to take the hand offered by Mr Weasley, Harry was suddenly thrown off his feet as he was tackled to the ground, a pair of strong hands around his neck and a crazed voice whispering, "You _will_ break your relationship with the mudblood _boy_ or I will see you in Azkaban for what you've done to me!"

"ENOUGH!" Roared Harry, his magic now blasting outwards, Molly flying off him as Harry rose dangerously, his eyes burning madly and his magic flowing throughout the room. "You _dare_ to lay your hands on me you psychotic bitch? I am a Lord of two Founders, Head of Three Families and recognised by Hogwarts herself as her new Lord: who the _hell_ do you think you are? Molly Weasley, I asked nicely; now I'm telling you!"

He raised the sword high, his magic seemingly making him glow as he demanded, "GET OUT!"

There was a crack of thunder, a sound like the wail of a banshee and, when the magic died down and Harry was finally able to sheath his sword, there was no sign of Molly Weasley anywhere within Hogwarts.

However, the use of such magic in such a manner wasn't without its limits and, as Harry sagged forwards, sweat pouring off his forehead, he looked up at Arthur and, with a shake of his head, whispered, "I'm sorry Arthur, but I can't accept your hand, but know this: you, Bill, Fred, George and Ginny will always be friends to House Potter and you Bill will always be honoured as my clan brother. For now, please…just go."

Arthur bowed with respect to Harry's request, the Lord of Three Houses feeling a familiar pair of arms holding him as Remus whispered, "Come on Harry; we'll see if Poppy has anything that can help recharge you."

"Remus," Harry whispered, "Find Hermione and tell her what happened here, then tell her this…"

He gave a gasp of fatigue as he allowed Remus to help him stand, his eyes burning as he exclaimed;

"Thanks to that bitch, I know what path I'm going to choose!

_**WhoAmI?**_

The stands around the maze were filled to the brim, but for Harry and the Champions, all that really mattered was what lay ahead of them: the maze and the recovery of the Tri-Wizard Cup; when Harry had been taken to the Hospital Wing, Poppy had fed him Pepper-up Potions and then Severus had provided Harry with an elixir that, as soon as he drank it, seemed to have the same effect as an energy drink as it filled the Tri-Lord with raw power and made him feel alive again.

With regards to his decision, Harry had sent a warning to the Vindicators, which was then passed onto Cedric – no matter what happened in the maze, Harry had to be the one to touch the cup – as both a meaning to his decision and a thanks for everything the Hufflepuff had done for him.

As the sound of the first cannon was released into the air, Harry and Cedric rushed into the maze together, Harry noticing the entrance closing behind him as he turned and began tracing his path mentally, trying his hardest to concentrate on the magical presence of the Cup to guide him and not the magic of the maze. The two Vindicators had agreed to split up and, in the off-chance that they met at the Cup, Cedric would act as the decoy for Harry while the Tri-Lord went on to face his destiny.

This was something that gave Harry a strong sense of warmth and companionship: he had known that Cedric would stand with him, even after he left Hogwarts and, through what happened tonight, Harry also knew that the Vindicators would stand with him. It didn't matter that eh wasn't the same Harry Potter that people had said had cheated his way into the Tournament. No, to them he was the Tri-Lord and the one truly worthy of the title Champion: to them, he was the one who could truly be a leader and they would follow him to the end.

'Who am I?' thought Harry, turning along one of the maze's pathways, still following the magical trace of the cup, 'I am Harry James Potter, Triple-Class Lord, Heir of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin; I _am_ a Triwizard Champion and soon, I will be so much more!'

The maze was silent, Harry's breathing the only sound around him as he wandered through the pathways, the animate environment of the maze making the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. He knew that there would be trials, but now, other than the foreboding feeling of not knowing what was around the corner, Harry just concentrated on getting to the Cup.

As he turned through another pathway, there was a sudden rumbling coming from behind him and, as Harry turned, he saw a web of large vines suddenly snake out from the hedgerow and worm their way towards him. With a sad smile, Harry unsheathed Godric's sword, the blade humming with the magic that was in the air, before the young Slytherin slashed downwards, the blade cutting through the vines as though they were made of paper. Following the path of the vines, Harry suddenly came to a stop as a flash of green light passed his face, Cedric's voice crying out a warning as a red spark was returned; something heavy hit the floor and, as Harry turned, he then saw Cedric standing over the stunned body of the Durmstrang Champion.

"Imperious," Cedric gasped, turning to see Harry standing there, "I think he was put here as a means to make sure that you and you alone made it to the cup."

"I'd have to agree," Harry remarked, looking around as he asked, "Where's Fleur?"

"Krum got her," Diggory answered, still gasping for breath as he asked, "How close are we?"

"Judging by the fact he wanted to use the Avada Kedavra Curse on you," Harry replied, "I'd say we're pretty close: Cedric, listen…"

"Harry," Cedric laughed, "It's all right: I got the message and the Vindicators have one for you."

As Harry looked to his fellow champion, Cedric lowered himself to one knee, his hand crossed over his chest, his other arm behind his back as he recited, "We the Vindicators pledge our life and services to Harry James Potter; we are his warriors, allies, brothers-in-arms and friends for as long as he needs us. Every one of them made the pledge," he added, rising again and placing a hand on Harry's shoulder, "We're yours to command and do with as you wish, my Lord Harry Potter."

"Thank you," Harry replied, before the rumbling started up again, Harry noticing movement from behind them as he added, "Now run!"

The two champions, side by side, tore through the maze, the foliage now closing in around them as if trying to snare them in its trap; while Cedric worked with cutting curses and flame jinxes, Harry slashed and hacked at the vegetation with Godric's Sword, before both of them came to a stop at the end of a long pathway.

The Triwizard Cup was at the other end, gleaming with silvery light and shining through the darkness of the maze; looking to his lord, Cedric nudged Harry forwards, "Remember the plan," he told him.

"Thank you," Harry nodded, before he saw a smile on Cedric's face as he asked, "What's so funny?"

"You are," Cedric answered, "I had a feeling about what choice you'd make from the start and, from the moment I signed on with the Vindicators, I knew that you were the only one of us worthy to be Champion. That's why I told you about Longbottom and the giant squid and why I chose to stay by your side; Harry, Lord Potter, if there's one person in my life that I am honoured to serve, it's you."

"Thanks Cedric," Harry replied, the two embracing one another in a strong hug of friendship, before they both clasped the other's hand in a gesture of brotherhood.

"Now go," Cedric insisted, "And make sure you come back to us…my Lord."

Harry nodded and, with vim and vigour filling his steps, he raced ahead of the Hufflepuff, the maze now doing all it could to halt Harry's pursuit, even going as far as unleashing spikes of vegetation that, had it not been for the sword in his hand, would have skewered Harry.

The Triwizard Cup now stood, gleaming silver and resonating with warm magic, in front of Harry; turning one last time to look back, Harry saw Cedric give him a salute, before the youngest Champion reached out and snagged the Cup, a strong feeling of pull being felt against his navel as the whole world spun with centrifugal force, before Harry dropped down onto a hard floor, an even colder environment than the one from the maze welcoming him to this new destination.

Staggering to his feet, his body covered in gashes and scratches from the maze, Harry looked around, taking in every single detail: he was standing in some kind of graveyard, tombstones and statues decorating the area, a clearing formed in the centre of the graveyard, where Harry noticed a mysterious cauldron on top of a large pedestal.

'The ritual,' he nodded, moving into the centre of the clearing, a large stone angel of some kind looming over him; knowing what he had to do, Harry stabbed the sword of Gryffindor into the ground and began to remove his robe, exposing pale flesh to the night sky as he looked around, knowing who was coming.

{Tom!} he called, Parseltongue rolling off his lips, {I'm here and as promised, I willingly give my blood: tell me what I must do.}

There was a moment's silence and, for a short second, Harry actually feared that he was the victim of a trap set either by Tom or by Dumbledore, but, as he thought on this, an icy voice hissed in response, {Step back Harry and allow my servant to do his work; when he comes for your blood, make sure you have that sword in hand. In return for this, I give him to you so that he whom you love dearly can finally be with you.}

{Thank you Tom,} Harry remarked, stepping back and withdrawing the Sword of Gryffindor from the ground, knowing that Tom was obviously talking about Sirius, which meant that Wormtail was here.

A short moment passed for Harry before a door opened at the opposite end of the graveyard and two figures emerged from the building; one was a bundled figure being carried by the second, a short, portly man with a very snivelling appearance to his face, his front teeth almost sticking out like the rat that he was.

At the same time, Harry watched as the flames beneath the cauldron began to spring into life, the weak and weary voice of the Dark Lord hissing, "Do it…now!"

He could hear noises at his feet. He looked down and saw a gigantic snake slithering through the grass, circling the headstone where he was standing, its glossy eyes watching the young wizard as it slithered around his feet, before Harry heard a voice that he figured was the snake as it, or she as he found out, hissed at him. {You are the one my Master needs: he talks of a choice you must make.}

{Rest assured,} Harry replied, watching as the snake then seemed to slither up his body until she was wrapped around Harry's shoulders like a scarf, {I have made my choice and I know it is the right one.}

Wormtail pulled open the robes on the ground, revealing what was inside them, and Harry let out a gasp that was lost by his reasoning as to what was about to happen: It was as though Wormtail had flipped over a stone and revealed something ugly, slimy, and blind – but worse, a hundred times worse.

The thing Wormtail had been carrying had the shape of a crouched human child, except that Harry had never seen anything less like a child. It was hairless and scaly-looking, a dark, raw, reddish black. Its arms and legs were thin and feeble, and its face - no child alive ever had a face like that - flat and snakelike, with gleaming red eyes.

The thing seemed almost helpless; it raised its thin arms, put them around Wormtail's neck, and Wormtail lifted it. As he did so, his hood fell back, and Harry saw the look of revulsion on Wormtail's weak, pale face in the firelight as he carried the creature to the rim of the cauldron. For one moment, Harry saw the evil, flat face illuminated in the sparks dancing on the surface of the potion. And then Wormtail lowered the creature into the cauldron; there was a hiss, and it vanished below the surface; Harry heard its frail body hit the bottom with a soft thud.

Wormtail was speaking. His voice shook; he seemed frightened beyond his wits. He raised his wand, closed his eyes, and spoke to the night.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"

The surface of the grave behind Harry cracked: Harry watched as a fine trickle of dust rose into the air at Wormtail's command and fell softly into the cauldron. The diamond surface of the water broke and hissed; it sent sparks in all directions and turned a vivid, poisonous-looking blue. And now Wormtail was whimpering. He pulled a long, thin, shining silver dagger from inside his cloak. His voice broke into petrified sobs.

"Flesh…of the servant…w-willingly given…you will…revive…your master."

He stretched his right hand out in front of him - the hand with the missing finger. He gripped the dagger very tightly in his left hand and swung it upward. Harry realized what Wormtail was about to do a second before it happened – he closed his eyes as tightly as he could, but he could not block the scream that pierced the night, that went through Harry as though he had been stabbed with the dagger too. He heard something fall to the ground, heard Wormtail's anguished panting, then a sickening splash, as something was dropped into the cauldron. Harry couldn't stand to look, but the potion had turned a burning red; the light of it shone through Harry's closed eyelids.

Wormtail was gasping and moaning with agony. Not until Harry felt Wormtail's anguished breath on his face did he realize that Wormtail was right in front of him.

"B-blood of the enemy…forcibly taken…you will…"

"Don't even try it," Harry warned, lifting the sword to the snivelling coward's face as he then stepped forwards, holding the sword in his hand as he looked at the bubbling mass. Then, as he stared, he felt a second mind link with his own, his magical knowledge suddenly growing and, holding the sword in his hand, Harry lifted it high and held his other hand over the cauldron; he didn't know how, but he knew what he had to say and do.

"Blood," he recited, "Of the forsaken one turned your enemy, willingly offered, you shall restore he who has fallen!"

Then, with the tip of Godric's Sword, Harry sliced a cut across his finger and watched as a steady stream of red blood began to drip into the cauldron, before he stepped back and, pushing his wandless magic into his will, Harry healed his cut and watched to see what was going to happen.

The cauldron began to spit and fizzle, its base turning from the colours of crimson fire into a strong mixture of silver and emerald that rose around the cauldron, the pot itself melting to reveal a much stronger figure than the one that Harry had seen beforehand. As he and Wormtail watched, Harry felt a smile tug at his lips before the figure's body began to become renewed by flesh, bone and blood, its muscles growing and, as Harry watched, he saw a head of sleek black hair cover the figure's head, the snake-face almost shifting into one more human, albeit still one with the red eyes.

Then, as this new figure was lowered to the ground, Harry watched as the shadows covered him, creating a set of long black robes that covered the figure, his head the only thing that was revealed, exposing a youthful, but clearly human face as the figure then opened his eyes and stood, his feet covered by the long robes, his hands revealing themselves from the sleeves of the robes and his eyes looking to his restored body in shock.

"Harry," he then whispered, his voice slick and oily, but with a slight hiss to it that made Harry's blood boil with excitement and raw magic, "You kept your word."

"As promised," Harry replied, watching as Wormtail scurried forwards, his free hand holding onto a wand that he offered to the man.

"Ah," the man remarked, "Thank you…Wormtail: _Stupefy!_"

Harry felt the magic as well as saw it; in a flash of red light, Wormtail was thrown to the floor, his eyes wide and his body unmoving as the figure stepped over the body of his servant and, stopping before Harry, he asked, "Any pain?"

"None," Harry replied, "You were right."

"As I suspected," the man, a renewed Tom Riddle, replied as he turned away from Harry and cleared the debris from the graveyard; once he was done, Tom spoke again, "I intend to summon my followers and bind them to my services in life and magic, so that not even Dumbledore can claim them; while I do that Harry, I want you to go over to that shack and wait. I will call to you in our tongue when I want you to re-appear; then, before all of them, you will give me your answer."

"Of course," Harry replied, before he remembered that he still had the snake around his neck; stepping forwards, he asked, "Do you want her back?"

"No," Tom answered, "Nagini will keep you company until I am ready for you; oh, but make sure that your face is hidden so that, when I reveal you, I will know once and for all whether or not I have traitors in my ranks."

"As you wish," Harry replied, striding past the Dark Lord and walking over towards the shack where Wormtail had emerged from; hiding behind the doorway, Harry waited with baited breath, his magic somehow growing stronger with each passing second as he listened to the sounds outside.

There were occasional sounds like wailing and the icy feeling in the graveyard was becoming even colder, but, as Harry listened, he was still sure of his decision and of what was about to happen; around his neck, Nagini gave him a gentle puff on the chin as if to soothe the excited young wizard before Harry, remembering Tom's instructions, used his own wand to craft a new set of jet black robes – though this time without his Crest – as well as a hood that completely obscured his face. With that task done, Harry secured the sword under his robe, hid his wand in its holster and, stroking Nagini, Harry waited as the inevitable moment drew nearer.

The first thing he heard was Tom speaking to what Harry assumed were his gathered followers, the Death Eaters, "Welcome my friends; thirteen years it's been and yet here you stand before me as though it were only yesterday. I confess myself…disappointed: not one of you tried to find me: Crabbe, Dolohov, McNair, Goyle," there was a pause and several gasps of pain from the Death Eaters; Harry assumed that Tom must have ripped something from them, possibly their masks – he had heard and researched the Death Eaters with help from Remus not long after the Second Task. As he listened, Tom's voice was close to silent as he spoke to one in particular, the name ringing a bell with Harry, "Not even you…Lucius!"

There was another gasp of pain before Harry heard a thud and a voice that was almost as low-toned as Severus spoke to Tom, "My lord, had I detected a sign or a whisper of your whereabouts…"

"There were signs everywhere, my slippery friend," Tom laughed, Harry wondering how much of this he was actually enjoying, "And more than whispers."

"I assure you, my lord," Lucius replied, "I have never renounced the old ways; the face that I have been forced to present each day since your…absence; that is my true mask."

"Oh yes," Tom agreed, "You have done well in your pretence, but you failed to understand the one thing I required for my return Lucius: you, who used the classic excuse of being under the Imperious to escape your punishment, should have been more careful as to who you chose as your enemy. For you see," his voice had raised and Harry seemed to prepare himself, as if he knew this was the moment. "Your actions at the Quidditch World Cup impressed me greatly; and afterwards, when my plans were put into motion, relying on such helpers as Wormtail here, who chose to fail me at the last moment, as well as Bartemius, who I sense shall be joining us shortly, I knew that the time would come for the inevitable encounter. You see, there is one more among us tonight; one who is the true reason for my return and, before I introduce him to you, I want all of you to kneel!"

There was a shuffling of robes and Harry, still eager to move from his location, listened as Tom spoke with an almost malicious tone, "You all chose to abandon me: I wish to say…thank you, because you are traitors; yes you are; as soon as you heard that Wormtail had returned, you jumped on the Dark Lord's bandwagon and started to, as Lucius clearly said, detect the signs and whispers of my whereabouts. So, this is your reward: you all bear my mark and you have all felt its pain; now, assembled before me, my Inner Circle, do you swear on the magic of your mark to never betray me again?"

"We swear, my lord," the group replied, Harry knowing the time was close.

"Do you all swear to obey my commands and pledge your loyalty to the true darkness?"

"We swear, my lord."

"And," added Tom, Harry knowing that it was close, "Do you all swear on your very lives that none of you shall ever ignore who and what you are from this day onwards? Do you swear to take your place as the rightful power in this world to aid me in stopping those like Dumbledore from taking my life again?"

"We swear my lord!"

There was a powerful flash of silver light that seemed to spread among the Death Eaters, before Tom's voice was directed in Harry's direction, {You may come out now Harry: keep to the manner of your character until I tell you otherwise.}

{Yes Tom,} Harry replied, ensuring his hood was secure, before he decided to add to the masquerade, conjuring a Death Eater mask that was made from silver and held a blood-red edge to it, as if symbolising his power, before he stepped out and strode with confidence through the kneeled Death Eaters, catching sight of Lucius Malfoy among the gathered followers, the blonde-haired man watching the newcomer with bewilderment.

"Ah yes," Tom remarked, smiling proudly at Harry, "There you are my friend: you see, all of you are nothing compared to what this being has done for me on this night. For it was his willingness to grant me my power once again that gave me back my body; now, not too long ago, I knew I would need this man and I gave him a choice: once his task was done, I would either give him his freedom or he would become my right-hand, my…prince, one could say. Now, my friend, if you choose your freedom, then turn your back to me; if you choose your place at my side, my young friend, then kneel before me."

There was a long, drawn-out pause, during which Tom seemed to examine the being before him, his eyes looking to the mask as if he were admiring its creativity, before he was given his answer.

Harry James Potter kneeled before the Dark Lord Voldemort, his voice distorted by his mask as he answered, "I choose to serve you, my Lord."

"Very well," Tom replied, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder, "But you shall not serve me, my young friend; you shall stand by my side as my Prince and my ward; now, with that in mind, why not let your face be known to them?"

"Yes my Lord," Harry replied, before he looked to Lucius, a smile curling under his mask as he reached up and removed his mask, before banishing his hood with but a mere gesture, revealing the face of the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Surprise!"

_**Chapter 13 and Harry's choice has been made: he chooses to become the Pure Magic Prince, but what will he do about those who follow him and how will they take it?**_

_**Keep Reading to Find Out…**_

_**Next Chapter: Harry returns to Hogwarts with a present for Sirius and a new destiny to be unleashed, but his actions against Mrs Weasley have Dumbledore watching him closely; what can he do to distract the old man from interfering over the summer? Also, Ragnok approaches Harry with regards to his summer at the Burrow and his new status as the ward of the Dark Lord…**_

_**Please Read and Review…**_


	15. Epilogue: The Aftermath: Vindication

Who Am I? A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Ginny

Draco/Luna

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

**_Review Answers:_**

**_No real responses as this is the Epilogue to Who Am I; thanks to everyone who reviewed and, if you enjoyed this story, then please check out my others;_**

**_A big thanks to: MariusDarkwolf, StormyFireDragon, Zamia and Slytherin66; every time I posted a new chapter, you were among the reviewers;_**

**_For those who enjoyed this story, check out the works of the above mentioned authors as well as: robst, Proud Mudblood, Redwoodx and witowsmp;_**

_There was a long, drawn-out pause, during which Tom seemed to examine the being before him, his eyes looking to the mask as if he were admiring its creativity, before he was given his answer._

_Harry James Potter kneeled before the Dark Lord Voldemort, his voice distorted by his mask as he answered, "I choose to serve you, my Lord."_

Chapter 14: The Aftermath: Harry's Vindication

Silence filled the graveyard as Harry stood before the Death Eaters, his sword hidden beneath his robes, Tom almost smiling at the devious sense of magic that he was feeling from his new ward, Nagini rising next to what was now her Young Master's head, fangs bared as if she was daring any of them to speak out.

Finally, when no-one seemed to dare to react to this news, Tom spoke again, "Yes my friends, your shock and disbelief are perfectly understandable as you see something that the world would have you believe to be my enemy. This, however, is not true, for you see, thirteen years ago, on the night of Samhain, it was not death that I intended to deliver to young Harry here; no, it was a chance for true power. You see, this is no ordinary boy wizard; he is more than the Boy-Who-Lived; he is a dual Founder's Heir and something that has not been seen since the first rising of my power as the Dark Lord that you see before you: for you see, Harry James Potter is, in reality, the Heir of Pure Magic, the Prince of Magic itself."

"My lord?" asked Lucius, clearly finding his voice, "How do you know this?"

"I know of this Lucius," Tom replied, "Because of an extremely rare event that, fifteen months before the day that I was destroyed by magic, took place on the night of my new prince's birth: a full planetary alignment. A rare and unexplainable event that all those of magical blood know to be the sign of power in the heavens; on that day, light and dark magic were fused and delivered to a newborn child, Harry here, where they lay dormant for fourteen years."

"My Lord?" asked Harry, looking from Tom to Lucius as he spoke up, "May I address Malfoy?"

"Of course you may, my young ward," Tom answered, gesturing to Lucius as he added, "And from now on Harry, you are the only one who needs not address me as your Lord. You willingly gave your blood to bring me back to this world and you also willingly gave yourself to me in choosing my side over that of your own freedom; you are my equal in state, Harry Potter, so please…" he gestured to the still-stunned Death Eaters as he finished, "Speak your mind."

"Thank you," Harry remarked, inclining his head as he turned to the elder Malfoy, "There is one piece of the puzzle that our lord has left out of his little explanation Malfoy and that is the true events of Halloween night, as well as the reason that I choose his side over my freedom. Tell me," he walked over and stopped in front of Lucius, his eyes boring into the man's soul as he asked, "Have you heard from your son about the events of this year?"

"Of course I have," Lucius growled, his eyes on Harry as if he sought some kind of desire to harm him, "But I was not going to believe the story that my son told me: that you, of all people, had offered him a second chance at friendship and that, due to the Triwizard Tournament, you had…"

He was cut off as Harry practically summoned the sword of Gryffindor to his hand, his cloak and dark robe blowing aside, revealing the Tri-Lord Crest and mark of Slytherin as the Triple-Class Lord asked, "I had what Malfoy? Lost my memories and gained a whole new lease on life? Well, if that is what you deny to believe, then let me show you the proof you need."

Stepping back, Harry stabbed his sword into the ground, before he pulled out his wand and, turning back to Tom, asked, "This wand is not the one that you know as your brother, right Tom?"

"Yes Harry," answered the Dark Lord, not even worried or troubled as to the use of his real name. "Your wand has found its true master and you no longer bear the holly and phoenix feather wand that shares its core with my own."

"Then," Harry remarked, "With your permission, may I use a spell to show my memories to those present?"

"You may," Tom replied, watching as Harry withdrew the image from his mind, his eyes on Malfoy as he then threw his wand tip to the skies, his voice echoing through the graveyard.

"_Memoire Revelius!_"

A silver raincloud flew from the end of Harry's wand, building in size until Harry stepped back, a selection of images appearing in the cloud's midst until it resembled what had been seen on the ceiling of Hogwarts, Harry mentally pushing the images he had wanted to show to Malfoy into his spell.

_Flashback_

_Harry felt his heart soar and every ounce of his magic react to the kiss he was experiencing, Hermione with her arms now snaking around his waist while he held her in his arms; when they parted, all Hermione could do was nod as she mouthed, "Yes."_

_That was when everything went to hell and it all started with a very familiar voice calling out to them, "Oh, isn't that sweet? It's the girlie and the freak now matched by their freakish behaviour; of course it's hard to tell which is which."_

_The music fell silent, everyone took a step back and, as Harry turned, he caught sight of Ron Weasley standing there, a big grin on his face as he asked, "So Potter, you actually thought you could fool everyone with your nice-guy act, did you? You and the useless mudblood freak here?"_

_"Mr Weasley, leave the hall immediately," McGonagall demanded, but Ron didn't move: he was enjoying this too much._

_"Poor little Potter and his filthy whore; no better than your mother, you are Potter and look where she ended up: dead!"_

_"Watch what you say Weasley and choose your next words carefully," Harry hissed, his eyes no longer glowing with happiness, but pure, unadulterated magic. "You may have to eat them."_

_"What can a freak like you do?" asked Ron, before he nodded to Hermione and added, "You know…I'm curious: did she ever tell you how we met? Did she tell you about how she was a bossy-arrogant-know-it-all who couldn't care about anything except being Miss Goody-Two-Shoes? She's a nightmare Harry and it's a wonder she didn't have any friends: well, until we rescued her from the troll…and the Basilisk…and the Dementors and how does she repay you? By keeping you in the dark: you see…I know," his grin was feral as he added, "I know why you're so different: kind of helps when you're in the right place at the wrong time."_

_"Ron," hissed Hermione, "Shut up."_

_"No mudblood," laughed Ron, obviously savouring his victory, "I'll tell the truth about the freak," he then raised his voice and called, "Poor little Potter had his accident at the First Task and now can't remember anything and you, Hermione Granger, are taking full advantage of it. Turning him away from me and Gryffindor and making him out to be some big hero when all he really is would be some weird freak with some freak's magic."_

_"Weasley," Snape snapped, "Shut your mouth this instant: this is not for you to know."_

_"Then Potter shouldn't have told the Squib about it," Ron laughed, "Because he has so little brains that he couldn't think to craft a silencing ward when he told our friends. Get your jollies from it did you Longbottom?"_

_"Silence!" roared Harry, now walking to the centre of the room, "You know nothing Weasley, you are nothing, but, on the other hand," he turned to the room, "He's also right: I can't remember anything, but, you know what? I DON'T WANT TO! I have had the best month of my life and learned a whole new lease on life: so, yeah, it's true, I suffered a massive mental block and now my memories from the past four years at Hogwarts are gone, which is also why I don't spend my nights in Gryffindor Tower. So, whatever plans you had to turn this to your advantage may as well be failures because I'm not for sale and," he rounded on Ron, his eyes blazing, "Thanks to you, I don't have to hide…but you should be running."_

_"Why?" asked Ron, "What can you say that'll change this?"_

_"How about…" Harry began, aware of his loyal pet's presence, the dog obviously drawn by his rage. "Sic him!"_

_Ron and the whole hall gasped as Snuffles charged into the hall, his eyes wide with fury and his jaws parted, before, as if frozen on the spot, Ron simply fell down and was pinned by the dog's jaws clamped around his leg, Harry now pointing his wand at Ron's head._

_"Thank you Weasley," he growled, "Because you've just ruined the best night of my life, which is why I'm not sorry for doing this," aiming his wand at Ron's forehead, Harry commanded, "Boltuncendius!"_

_There was a powerful burst of green light, darker than the AK, but, when it fell, Ron was screaming, smoke trailing from his forehead, his eyes covered by a severe burn mark that trailed right round towards his red hair._

_With that done, Harry turned and, looking at Hermione, shook his head, before he whispered, "Don't follow unless you really love me."_

_End Flashback_

With a casual flick of his wand, Harry halted the images at those last words as he looked back to Malfoy, his eyes now showing none of the innocence or deception he had held when he had kneeled before Tom as he asked, "Now do you believe me Malfoy? I don't really recall how I lost my memories, but, when I did, my memories gave me a new lease on life and new powers. I am not even a member of Gryffindor House any longer, but chose, willingly, I might add, to finally accept that I will do well and belong in Slytherin: now, what do you have to say about that?"

Lucius stared at the silver cloud that had been conjured by the Tri-Lord, his shock and awe being shared by the Death Eaters and by the Dark Lord: Tom had never known just how much Harry had loathed his old life and willingly accepted his new life. Lucius, looking from his allies to the young man in front of him, stepped forwards and kneeled before Harry as he spoke, "I ask forgiveness…my Prince; I should not have doubted the word of my own son and learned to trust in the knowledge and strength of the Dark Lord's own declaration. I, Lucius Malfoy, am honoured to be of service and to be an ally of the Pure Prince, the right-hand of the Dark Lord."

"And I shall not forget this promise Lucius," Harry snarled, his eyes darkening as he looked to the other Death Eaters, his magic now visibly glowing around his body as he dismissed the silvery cloud, before he added, "All of you need to forget about the Boy-Who-Lived and the Golden Boy of Gryffindor; I am not that person any longer: I am the Heir of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin and, as of today, I am proud to stand with the only real truth in my life. But be warned, if you try to cross me or even think of targeting those who are near and dear to me, then I will not hesitate to slash you into a thousand pieces and feed you to Nagini, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Young Master," the Death Eaters replied, Harry turning to Tom as the Dark Lord smiled at his new ward, before he gestured away from the site, the Death Eaters taking this as their sign of dismissal as the two dark wizards walked away.

As they walked through the cemetery, Tom whipped out his wand and conjured a bag for the Triwizard Cup, before he summoned the Portkey into a bag, so that it was safe for either he or Harry to hold on to. Once that was done, Tom had only one thing to say to Harry, "What made you choose my side in the end?"

"You told me the truth," Harry explained, looking to the man he was now following in magic as he continued, "Everything I ever knew about my magic and my true strength has been nothing more than a lie, but, since November, I have become more powerful and gained the girl of my dreams as my girlfriend; I have acquired my lordship and learned the sad, but finally acceptable truth about my parents' deaths and, on top of all that, I have my own little band of followers to call upon as and when I need them."

"Really?" asked Tom, stopping as they reached an iron-wrought gate, his eyes on Harry as he asked, "Who are they?"

"I can cast the spell again if you wish," Harry replied, but stopped when Tom placed a hand on his shoulder.

"There's no need for that: you see, there's something I should have told you, but I was worried it would sway you away from this," he took a deep breath before he explained, "When you gave your blood to aid in my resurrection, it created a link between our minds that allow us to see through the eyes of the other and, with enough practice, to walk in the other's consciousness. However, because you gave your blood willingly, you have also been granted the ability to speak with me through the bond: try it."

"All right," Harry replied, slightly miffed that Tom had kept this secret from him, but, as he closed his eyes and reached into his magic, he realised that Tom's reason for doing so made perfect sense, which was more than could be said for the rest of the events that had transpired so far.

As he reached into the magic, Harry suddenly gasped as he touched his consciousness, feeling a familiar presence within him that he recognised as the second presence he had sensed some time ago, back when he had decreed his Lord's Acceptance in Gringotts, a part of him feeling a sense of amusement as he thought about how much had changed since then. This time, instead of turning away from the presence, Harry allowed his mental magic to delve deeper into its power, until he gasped as he felt the second presence and, with a gasp, realised it for what it truly was: Tom's mental and spiritual presence within him.

The Horcrux that Tom had placed within him thirteen years beforehand, except now, instead of fearing it, Harry opened his mind and, feeling slightly silly for doing so, whispered, "I accept it."

'_I know you do,_' a familiar soft voice hissed in his mind, Harry's eyes snapping open as he saw Tom standing there, a smile on the face of the human-appearing Dark Lord. '_Yes Harry,_' Tom continued, '_The bond has been activated through the Horcrux's power and, with your choice made, you can now take its power for your own: I entrust you with its knowledge and everything sealed inside its dark glory; now, try to respond._'

Calming his own thoughts, Harry focused on the power of the Horcrux, feeling the familiar magic from his second presence wash over him as he spoke within his own thoughts, '_You mean…like…this?_'

'_Yes,_' Tom answered, now walking through the gate and up to the manor that overlooked the graveyard, '_Don't worry about the strength of our bond Harry; it will get stronger and this speech can only be used when the bond is open; I promised you that I would not harm your friends and that includes the muggleborn that you call your girlfriend. I will allow full control of this bond to be yours, so that I cannot interfere and, despite your place as my prince and ward, I will not summon you to the meetings that will follow today; instead, you need only call on me and, if there is one set, then it is your choice._'

'_I understand,_' Harry replied, '_But what do I call you?_'

'_In the meetings,_' explained the Dark Lord, '_You will address me as Voldemort and, to keep up appearances, you will kneel only when you arrive; keep your robe and mask as it will hide your identity from those outside the inner circle and, if you wish, then you may design a similar masked set for your followers. I will reveal their identities to the Death Eaters as and when you decide it and neither they nor their families will be harmed._'

'_You promise?_'

'_Harry,_' Tom sighed, '_You have done me a great deal tonight: I do promise, but if I tell you that I will do something or I declare something to you about those you care for, you will know I am telling the truth. Now, if you want to, you can return to Hogwarts, but, before you do, there is a small matter we need to discuss._'

'_What?_'

Tom stopped his walking as he turned and looked to Harry, before, with a sigh, he explained, "I know that you won't like to do so Harry but…" he leaned closer and placed a soft hand on Harry's shoulder as he gave Harry his first true order as the prince of the dark side of magic;

"I want you to use Wormtail's body to announce that I have returned!"

**_WhoAmI?_**

If words had power then, when Harry reappeared outside the maze, Wormtail's body in his clutches, a scarred, weaker look in his eyes than before he had entered, all it would take was four words to change the world:

"He's back: Voldemort's back!"

Following that, there was a collective shock followed by fear from those who were out of the proverbial loop as well as the Ministry officials denying the presence of the supposedly dead Peter Pettigrew; that is, until he returned to consciousness and screamed out that the Dark Lord would protect him, which was seemingly enough to convince them of the truth.

That Pettigrew was alive and Sirius had been framed, which was music to Harry's ears as he made himself scarce, heading for the Chamber of Pride, where he found the Vindicators, Sirius, Remus, Minerva and Hermione all waiting for him, a small part of Harry finding it surprising that Severus was not among them.

"Well?" asked Hermione, approaching her boyfriend and giving him a soft kiss, before she seemed to allow herself to be taken into his arms.

Harry, looking from his lover to his mentors and friends, seemed to scan each of their faces before, with a defeated sigh, he lowered his head and, in a voice filled with acceptance, exclaimed, "I'm sorry…I chose to join him."

Silence filled the room as the Vindicators seemed to take this news to heart, the worst of them being Neville as he approached his lord and, looking into Harry's emerald eyes, gave a sad smile as he told him, "A promise is a promise."

Then, as Harry watched, the Vindicators kneeled before him, Remus and Sirius joining them, Minerva standing stock still as she looked to her young lord, before the Vindicators spoke as one, "We're with you…my lord."

"Thank you," Harry replied, looking to Minerva as he then added, "Don't worry; I'll keep my word to you Minerva, but, if you're all true to your word, then I need one more thing."

"What's that Harry?" asked Draco, looking to his Lord and, if his suspicions were confirmed about his Father, his Young Master.

"Simply put," Harry answered, "I need each of you to meet with me individually where I will ask for a wizard's oath and explain the situation, but, for those of you who are worried about how this will affect the world outside the school, I can only give you _my_ word that I will not change in any way, shape or form."

"And I believe him," Hermione remarked, her arms around her boyfriend as she explained, "The Lord of the Vindicators has risked everything tonight in doing what he's done and now, thanks to the events of the past twenty-four hours, he can consider himself well and truly vindicated."

"That's right," Harry smiled, amused at the wordplay as he explained, "If someone were to ask me Who Am I? well, I would answer them with two words."

He removed Hermione from his arms and reached into his robe, withdrawing his sword and, holding it to the sky, announced;

"I'm me! And now…once and for all…I'm _free!_"

**_And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the end of Who Am I; I chose to end it here so that it would give me a chance to think about how I provide the next part of the adventure and to give me a chance to work on my newer stories; there WILL be a sequel – which will be called We Are One – but, until I have the main story in mind, it will be a while before it will be posted; thanks to everyone who reviewed the story and, once again, if you wish to take a crack at the challenge associated with the story, then go ahead._**

**_Details can be found in my forum as well as in the opening page of this story; however, for those who need a reminder, here are the challenge details once more:_**

**FORGET-ME-NOT CHALLENGE**

**_Plot: _**During one of his many death-defying adventures, Harry suffers an accident and, when he awakens he either:

A: Loses his memory completely with NO CHANCE of getting it back

OR

B: Can't remember who he is, but does eventually remember

**_Rules:_**

If challenge A, Harry CANNOT recall anything after July 31st of his first year at Hogwarts or, failing that, can't remember who he is!

If challenge B, Harry must regain his memory through flashbacks and snippets of memory

Severitus

Must be set any year before - but not including - 5th Year

Grey or Dark Harry

Pairings must be H/Hr, HP/LL, HP/DG or HP/DM

Harry must sever ties with Ron and see him for what he is: a greedy, waste of space.

Even if she does not become his paired person, Hermione MUST remain Harry's friend

Harry must not trust Dumbledore

**_Suggestions:_**

Harry siding with Tom

Harry becoming a Slytherin

Bindings on Harry's magic

Harry knowing about the Horcrux/prophecy

Severus reconciling with Sirius and Remus

Other Weasleys choosing to stick with Harry

Harry undergoing a full personality change

**_Forbidden:_**

Harry sticking with Dumbledore

Hermione going against Harry

The Golden Trio remaining together

Neville or Luna bashing

Light Harry

**OTHER THAN THAT, IT IS COMPLETELY UP TO YOU!**

**_If you wish to have a go at the challenge or you are writing a fanfic with the challenge, please send a PM or reply in the forum – link can be found on my profile page;_**

**_Please Read and Review…_**

**_OC SPELLS: _**

**_Memoire Revelius – _****The Memory Window Charm: allows the caster to show the memories within their mind using mental focus without the need of a Pensieve;**


End file.
